THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER - Abysmal Review

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER - Abysmal

Metal Blade Records

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This is what a melodic death album should sound like. With precision in the songwriting, a solid production quality, insane vocals, and uncompromising way of each composition. The songs are chaotic, but well played out guitar/drum-wise. Each instrument was mixing with exactitude. I really enjoyed this album over their latest because everything on the production fit in. The melodies were catchy and uncompromising. The leads are superb and done immaculately. There's no letting up on the intensity of this album. It's in your face melodic death. The vocals taking right form both in low and screaming tones. The latter more so.

FONDLECORPSE - Creaturegore Review

FONDLECORPSE - Creaturegore

Razorback Recordings

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I've heard of this band for a while, but never really checked them out. That is, until pretty recently. I wasn't able to get their newest release, so I settled for this one. And man, what a killer death metal band! They had a lot of people (musicians) filling in on here, but the main core of the band was still on here. The release was heavy, but not overly brutal. Quality death metal from the Netherlands. They do a good job with their songwriting techniques. I really applaud 'Creaturegore' and think the band has a long future. They've just had to keep on being consistent with not too many gaps between releases.

JUNGLE ROT - War Zone Review

JUNGLE ROT - War Zone

Crash Music

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A purely solid album here, even though it's 12 years since its release, I felt compelled to write about this one especially because it's one of their best releases in my opinion. The production quality was a little bland, but the music and vocals are the highlights to this release. They have some pretty heavy songs on here. It's heavier than their new release (2018). I admire the originality in the songwriting category I felt that was their strongest component to making this album listenable. All the songs rock, even if they're only a few minutes in length and a little over 30 minutes in length. They have a lot to offer here.

BELPHEGOR - Blood Magick Necromance Review

BELPHEGOR - Blood Magick Necromance

Nuclear Blast

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This album is so grim and evil, it achieves its gold medal on that. Perfectly orchestrated, the absolute best BELPHEGOR I've ever heard. The music and the vocals are simply awesome. As is the production quality. This is not an album to listen to when you're melancholic. It's totally depressing and vile.  Just hear it when you want to listen to quality death/black metal. The tempos are slow, but the music is awesome. The vocals go with the voice very nicely.  What a gem of a release. It's simply an original and Satanic metal album that sucks you into the vibe. The bit on the synthesizers augments the albums goal entirely.

ARCHSPIRE - The Lucid Collective

ARCHSPIRE - The Lucid Collective

Season of Mist

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This sophomore release by ARCHSPIRE I feel was rated unfairly.  For being a technical death metal act, this release to me hits home with a "B" average.  It's blindingly fast and furious and hate in the vocals.  All the tracks on here I thought were noteworthy as well as super technical on the guitars/drums. The vocals are wicked as well. Not only do you get deep throat there are some screaming going on as well. The music is just furious. Nothing on here is boring or without significance. There are some milder guitar mixed in here but not extensively. It's enough to give the album variety and poise. This being a second album really is quite an achievement.

SKELETAL REMAINS - Condemned To Misery Review

SKELETAL REMAINS - Condemned To Misery

F.D.A. Records

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Definitely a sounding like DEATH/OBITUARY mixed in there, this death metal act does a good job at keeping the listener entranced in awe of a slaughter of the eardrums.  The riffs here are faster and furious than their latest, "Devouring Mortality."  I like their latest a bit more, the production quality is better sounding and the instruments are more augmented.  This one is more of a death metal solely type of album whereas I think their latest was flirting more with melodic pieces.

EXHUMED - All Guts, No Glory Review

EXHUMED - All Guts, No Glory

Relapse Records

Reverbnation

This California based band going back to the origin to where they were formed in 1990 have come a long way in writing a solid release here, probably one of their best. Even though I dislike the lead guitar on this record, I think that the rhythm outshines it and "glorifies" their sloppiness in the lead department.

DYING FETUS - Reign Supreme Review

DYING FETUS - Reign Supreme

Relapse Records

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I chose to review this one of their latest because I thought that it was catchier and sort of the essence of a better DYING FETUS-esque vibe than their current release. Not to mention that I like the production on here, it's solid. The vocals have never been my favorite listening moments in DYING FETUS albums, but they want to keep it underground and I have no problem in saying "okay, this is how you want to do it, you can change it up here and there." John Gallagher and Sean Beasely trade off on vocals so it's variety, at least.

DESTRUCTION - Cracked Brain Review

DESTRUCTION - Cracked Brain

Steamhammer

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In retrospect, almost 30 years have gone by that this record has been in existence. The re-issue doesn't take away from the magic of this release minus Schmier from the lineup.  But the staple 3 members that appear on “Release from Agony” are featured on here (Mike, guitars Harry, guitars and Olly, drums). There was a session bassist by the name of Christian Engler that takes Schmier's bass duties. I've always felt that this would've been a much more solid release if their frontman wasn't on hiatus for this recording. However, it is what it is and Schmier's been back for a while now so that's not changing anytime soon. The older riffs on this album especially have been DESTRUCTION's finest. I don't think that anything but a few newer releases are as catchy as the old stuff, “Cracked Brain” included.

DEICIDE – In Torment In Hell Review

DEICIDE – In Torment In Hell

Roadrunner Records

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DEICIDE doesn’t need an introduction really, they formed in Tampa, FL in 1989 under the name AMON with all the original band members, the Hoffman brothers, Glen Benton and Steve Asheim. 

VITAL REMAINS – Icons of Evil Review

VITAL REMAINS – Icons of Evil

Century Media

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This band formed in 1988 and are still active, but haven’t released an album in about 10 years. Tony Lazaro (rhythm guitar), David Sazuki (drums, lead guitars, bass) and Glen Benton on vocals are all that contributed forth in this latest release. 

MONSTROSITY – Rise to Power Review

MONSTROSITY – Rise to Power

Conquest Music

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These guys have been around for 27 years, in 1990 to be exact. They’ve been producing some quality death metal over the years. Even early on. From the Tampa area, many of the more prevalent death metal acts around. I don’t think they’ve gotten enough attention though. That’s just my view.

GARDENIAN – Sindustries Review

GARDENIAN – Sindustries

Nuclear Blast Records

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Short career for these Swedish melodic death freaks, which is rather unfortunate. This one was a follow up from a more emotional album entitled “Soulburner”, that one is my absolute favorite. But yeah, I’m not entirely certain of the reasons of their departure from the Gothenburg music scene, it’s just sad.

SUFFOCATION – Pierced From Within Review

SUFFOCATION – Pierced From Within

Roadrunner Records

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This band doesn’t really need an introduction, but I’ll give a short one anyway. SUFFOCATION has been making death metal music 1990, but formed in 1988. They have a pivotal point in the death metal scene, this release being a monument in the genre.

DANZIG - III - How the Gods Kill Review

DANZIG - III - How the Gods Kill

Def American Recordings

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A solid follow-up to the awe-inspiring “II – Lucifuge”, DANZIG hits the heavy metal scene again circa 1992, but hey, it's never too late to celebrate a 25 year anniversary of a well appreciated release. Glenn is back at it with his notorious vocal outputs and the rest of the band that was with them for the first three albums as well. So yeah, you'll hear the heavy blues influenced John Christ, the rubble ling of Eerie Von's bass, and sick drum outputs by Chuck Biscuits. The music is quite admirable, notably "Dirty Black Summer." There were more, but that one (to me) stood out the most out of the whole album. The tempos vary, some songs are slow, meaning tempo-wise. Some filled with vigor. All of them are very dark indeed though. But that's what the whole reason for this concept that they've chosen for the album.

MEGADETH – So Far, So Good…So What! Review

MEGADETH – So Far, So Good…So What!

Capitol Records

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This album I think is why I stopped listening to MEGADETH for the longest time without trying other platters that they laid out, including their latest release “Dystopia.” It’s really flat-production sounding and riffs that are just stale. It’s not nearly as good as “Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?”, I think that they really failed on this one. I’ve come to the same conclusion numerous times around trying to get to like it but not being able to do so.

IN FLAMES - A Sense of Purpose Review

IN FLAMES - A Sense of Purpose

Koch Records

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This is bordering on a metalcore version of IN FLAMES. There is still the aggression and melodies with a heaviness continuum but the vocals vary. As do the guitars. Great production though. Just not my favorite IN FLAMES ALBUM, it's nothing like "The Jester Race", et al but there still is that vibe of melodic-ism. This band regressed more than anything else. This is despite Jesper leaving the band after, they still were withering away with their sound. The Metal Archives refers to their new style as melodic death/melodic groove. Whatever you want to call it, it’s not good for the band.

OPETH - Still Life Review

OPETH - Still Life

Peaceville Records

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Well when they were still good… This is a sad reality when a change towards the virtual mainstream is just to make money. But I think that with this release their focus was this kind of progressive sort of style which fluctuates between soft melodies to much more deathly ones. The old OPETH (meaning before the fall) delved into things that they were notorious for: progressive metal fluidity never knowing what to expect from this album. It has a conglomeration of mood-swings musically and stays with this for the whole album. Acoustic guitar, clean vocals, heavy guitar, hoarse vocals. That's what I mean by the "mood-swings" here. But this was a staple OPETH displayed for years till they lost heart. Every song on here you don't really know what to expect, heavy or clean? That's the magic about it.

NAPALM DEATH - Enemy of the Music Business Review

NAPALM DEATH - Enemy of the Music Business

Dream Catcher Records

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Totally uncompromising. This album is brilliant, yet quite heavy as hell. The riffs are unique Jesse (RIP) on the second guitar just rips. And Mitch's screaming backup vocals makes the album even more intense. They put forward what they wanted which was just an annihilation musically going back to their roots, yet more death metal oriented than grindcore. But still simply awesome. The musicianship is never to the level of "Harmony Corruption", but still they're kicking ass on this one, no doubt they're hitting no holds barred here.

SEPULTURA – Schizophrenia Review

SEPULTURA – Schizophrenia

Cogmuelo Records

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This is probably the most thrash oriented release the band has ever released, and brutal too. The guitars reflect their ingenuity in songwriting structure. A lot of tremolo picking kind of like “Beneath the Remains” and “Arise” before the total and utter fall of the band. This one is about as heavy as its follow-up, though not as catchy. “Beneath the Remains” remains to be my favorite from the band but this one is not far behind. It’s an ingenious release. I like the lyrics as well.