Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: Vomitory Country: Sweden Label: Metal Blade Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Vomitory is such a band that is hard to dislike if you are into extreme metal in general or Death Metal in particular. Although it might…
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Australia-based Denouncement Pyre, a band that I feel does not always get the credit it does deserve based on its music. Last year, the band released their fourth album with ‘Forever Burning’ through…
When I first heard Diabolical Messiah’s debut album, I didn’t hesitate for long and picked up the vinyl edition, released via Blood Harvest. ‘Satan Tottendemon Victory!!!’ was yet another proof that there had to be something very deadly in the…
Last year’s ‘Ascetic Reflection’ was one of the best forward thinking Death Metal releases that reached my ears in a long time. The compelling intricacies, creative dynamics and overall mind-boggling musical wizardy made the album slip into my Top-15 of…
Artist: Impetuous RitualCountry: AustraliaLabel: Profound Lore RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 It was 2009’s ‘Relentless Execution Of Ceremonial Excrescence’, initially released by Profound Lore Records on CD and later in 2011 on vinyl by Blood Harvest, that put Australia’s Impetuous…
Artist: Sněť / Grave InfestationCountry: Czechia / CanadaLabel: Me Saco Un OjoFormats: Split 7″ EPYear: 2023 Two of the current scene’s most revered underground Death Metal bands are sharing this piece of black wax of 7 inches in diameter, released by Me Saco Un Ojo.…
When Imprecation announce a new album, you can unquestionably count on the fact that we will be dealing with another monumental piece of Blackened Death Metal. And, yes, with ‘In Nomine Diaboli’, the Texas veterans once again fulfil all expectations.…
Artist: Galvanizer / MorbificCountry: FinlandLabel: Iron CorpseFormats: Split cassette tapeYear: 2023 To add some lustre to their joint tour, these Finnish bands are releasing a split tape where, in a pretty pink and yellow cover, they want to show off…
Artist: EnforcedCountry: USALabel: Century MediaFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Although the blending of Thrash Metal and Hardcore is not exactly something new, and in the 80’s, through bands like D.R.I. and Suicidal Tendencies, it was a breath of fresh air…
For a long time, the Death Metal genre seems to have been a fairly static affair. Apart from a few exceptions in the form of bands like Atheist, Cryptopsy and, of course, Death, most of it has been mostly of…
Artist: VoidCeremonyCountry: USALabel: 20 Buck SpinFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 VoidCeremony has been featured here before and each time I was left amazed. The music always delivered an outstanding experience, a wild and extravagant sort Death Metal…
Artist: Carpet BombCountry: USALabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2023 Apart from two previously released online singles, ‘Awaken Terror’ is the debut from this Phoenix, Arizona, USA-based Thrash Metal trio. The band doesn’t mince words, with a cover like this one, you pretty…
One of the longest running Greek Black/Death Metal bands is definitely Embrace Of Thorns, not only have they been there for a quarter of a century now, they are also one of the best bands from Greece – and, quite…
Artist: Katy ScaryCountry: USALabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 Two demos and this latest EP is the solo output of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA based Katy Scary. With her other band, Klaymore, she has been active in the Heavy Metal/Power Metal spectrum,…
Artist: Dying RemainsCountry: CanadaLabel: Maggot StompFormats: Cassette EPYear: 2023 Although I couldn’t relate much to the positive vibe that was created around Detherous, the Canadian Death/Thrash Metal band, and found their album quite a bit of an underwhelming affair, everything…
Artist: Mithridatum Country: Italy / USA Label: Willowtip Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2023 Mithridatum is a new band, founded last year, of a trio with their origin in both the USA as well as Italy,…
Artist: Morbid DestroyerCountry: USALabel: Nihil Verum Nisi Mors ProductionsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 Morbid Destroyer, a band with a more than appropriate name, releases its first demo with ‘Accursed Summoning’ – not counting the short digital promo from 2022. But despite…
Artist: Savage NecromancyCountry: USALabel: 20 Buck SpinFormats: 12″, Cassette Tape, CDYear: 2022 Originally released in 2021 on CD and in two versions on cassette tape, all three by different labels, the album was also picked up by the much larger…
Artist: EstenosisCountry: SpainLabel: Escafismo RecordsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 ‘Orgía Necrofílica’ is Estenosis’ third demo and just like the two preceding tapes, this one has quite an impressive tracklist of no less than 18 tracks. Tracks that are brimming with some…
Artist: Plague BearerCountry: USALabel: Nameless Grave RecordsFormats: LP, CDYear: 2023 Plague Bearer is a band that was formed all the way back to 1992 and released two demos in the first half of the 90’s. Then, in 1994, the band…
Artist: AnarkhonCountry: BrazilLabel: Debemur Morti ProductionsFormats: LP, CDYear: 2023 Although the band has never been much of a standard gory styled Death Metal band, the Brazilians of Anarkhon have come quite a long way. The band was already founded back…
Artist: Cursed ExcruciationCountry: BrazilLabel: Angel of Cemetery Records / Iron Bonehead Productions / Unpure RecordsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 After two demos tapes, released in 2021, Cursed Excruciation’s sole member, Trance Of The Undead, started forging his ancient steel into something…
Artist: Reeking Aura Country: USA Label: Profound Lore Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 After their self-released 2020 EP ‘Beneath The Canopy Of Compost’, it was to be expected that New York-based Death Metal band Reeking Aura would come…
Artist: EctospireCountry: USALabel: Transylvanian RecordingsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 Apart from a previously online released song that also appears on this demo cassette, with ‘Formless Horrors’ we are dealing with the first feat of this Death Metal band from Tulsa, Oklahoma,…
Artist: Denial Of DeathCountry: GermanyLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2023 The Brazilian born and in Germany residing Glauber “Haereticus” Ataide formed Denial Of Death in 2021 as a solo-project with the ‘Unholy Trinity’ as his first feat. And although it remains a…
Artist: DistrüsterCountry: PolandLabel: Ossuary RecordsFormats: CD, Cassette tapeYear: 2022 ‘Sic Semper Tyrannis’ is the debut album for Polish Distrüster, a band that was founded in 2021 by James Stewart (Decapitated and ex-Vader among many others) and two others to mix…
Artist: Rotpit Country: Germany / Sweden Label: War Anthem Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 After a demo tape and single-track promo, of which a review can be found elsewhere on our VM-Underground pages, the trio that is Rotpit…
Artist: Abject MentorCountry: MexicoLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2023 From the ancient city of Aguascalientes, once founded by the first Spanish families to settle on the even much older Chichimeca Indian territories, comes this Death Metal band who present us with their…
Artist: Raw Vomit Country: Portugal Label: Enfermo Distro Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 From the deepest pits and sewers from Portugal comes Raw Vomit, a band that has absolutely no sense for subtlety or melody. In fact, the soul or…
Artist: Kommand Country: USA Label: 20 Buck Spin Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 From the city of angels comes this Death Metal band that spawned a few demos (also compiled as ‘The Demos’ on vinyl and…
Artist: Hospital Bomber Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 ‘Demonstration Of Two Songs’ is the first demo of this New York, USA based Death Metal band. And, believe it or not, it is indeed a demo containing,…
Artist: Schizophrenia Country: Belgium Label: Self-Released Formats: CD EP Year: 2023 Okay, admittedly. I have always kept some distance from this band. I always thought the name was terribly badly chosen. When you choose to name your Thrash Metal band…
Artist: YskelgrothCountry: SpainLabel: Xtreem MusicFormats: CDYear: 2023 Dave Rotten’s influence and contribution to the (extreme) metal scene is huge, especially in his homeland Spain, his importance is almost without equal. Especially with his label Xtreem Music (and its predecessors, Drowned…
Artist: Misery Index Country: USA Label: Century Media Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 It is no secret that Misery Index has named themselves after a track of the 1997 released album of one of the best Grindcore bands from…
Artist: Diabolical MessiahCountry: ChileLabel: Veins Full of Wrath ProductionsFormats: CDYear: 2023 Not counting a handful of split EPs, compilations and a demo, the Chileans of Diabolical Messiah present their third feat with ‘Satanic Alpha-Omega’. On the previous two long-players, the band had already shown they…
Artist: FeedingCountry: CanadaLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 Although this Canadian Death Metal band already released a couple of demos over the past few years, they are relatively unknown, even to such an extent that they haven’t been included on Metal-Archives…
Artist: ThromvosisCountry: GreeceLabel: Self-releasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2023 In fact, a review can be very easy, or even unnecessary. The real connoisseur has of course already seen it: the red/black/white artwork, the logo, the band name and its title. Everything about this…
Artist: Dark MillenniumCountry: GermanyLabel: Floga RecordsFormats: LPYear: 2023 In the later years of the first Death Metal peak, say, the early 90’s there were bands that were pushing the boundaries of the genre. Into different directions, really. Of course, there…
Artist: DoomorderCountry: Finland / SpainLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2022 After a short promo in 2016, which was released as a part of a split 7” (pressed on a clear lathe disc) in 2017 the duo behind Doomorder returns with a self-released digital full-length album. The…
Artist: Serement Country: Greece Label: Theogonia Records Formats: CD EP Year: 2023 ‘Deviation From God’ is the first effort by this new Greek Death Metal band and was self-released digitally at the end of last year, but now gets a…
Artist: Maze Of Sothoth Country: Italy Label: Everlasting Spew Records Formats: Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2022 With ‘Extirpated Light’, this Italian foursome is on its second album. After a good demo and a successful debut album, expectations are high;…
Artist: Cult Of OrpistCountry: GreeceLabel: Theogonia RecordsFormats: CD EPYear: 2023 The combination of the band name of this EP and especially the cover art, I was allured into checking out this band from new metal band. Why? Because everybody loves…
Artist: DragonCountry: PolandLabel: Metal Mind ProductionsFormats: CDYear: 2023 It must have been in the early 00’s that I snatched a batch of vinyl records of eBay (or something similar) and I also grabbed a copy of Dragon’s ‘Horda Goga’. I had never heard of…
Artist: AstriferousCountry: Costa RicaLabel: Me Saco un Ojo Records / Pulverised Records / Seed of DoomFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 This is the fourth review to appear for Astriferous on our VM-Underground pages, not counting the interview, but for me personally, admittedly,…
Artist: CatacombCountry: FranceLabel: Xtreem MusicFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 When the French cult band Catacomb announced their return, I couldn’t help but being both enthusiastic and sceptic at the same time. Of course, it is great to have a band…
Artist: Venereal BaptismCountry: USALabel: Ascension RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2023 It has been about four years since this Laredo, Texas, USA based Blackened Death Metal band has released anything. The previous two albums already showed what this duo had in mind when…
Artist: Critical ExtravasationCountry: RussiaLabel: Redefining Darkness RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 On the band’s previous EP, ‘Morbid Existence’, this Russian Death Metal band Critical Extravasation already introduced us to their brand of Technical Death Metal. Our own chief editor of…
Artist: VrenthCountry: USALabel: Rotted Life RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 On the band’s previous release, the split LP with Depraver, Vrenth surprised me with their take on Death Metal that both had a distinct oppressive sound as…
Artist: AtomwinterCountry: GermanyLabel: Trollzorn RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Ever since the band’s inception, the warmachine that is Atomwinter rolls on, now, in 2023, arriving at their fourth full-length album, ‘Sakrileg’. And just with every diesel-fuelled heavy piece of artillery, it starts slow but…
Artist: WolflustCountry: BrazilLabel: Hammer Of DamnationFormats: Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2022 The Brazilians of Wolflust have come out with their second EP, ‘Endless War’, which, with some 16 minutes of material, presents us with a modest bite of unbridled…