Manasseh, a new dark ambient/folk project spearheaded by Patrick Brown (Herxheim, ex-Howls of Ebb), seeks to be a meditative piece that portrays a soundscape of someone digging down to paradise on their debut record Tunneling to Paradiso. But will this tunnel lead to auditory bliss or despondency?
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BRUTALISM – Solace in Absurdity Review
BRUTALISM seem like they are committed to making quality brutal death metal. The band knows how to groove and how to construct riffs and manages to walk the tightrope between skronky technicality and groove with ease. But will our resident goat find solace in this brutal death metal?
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Venomous Echoes – Split Formations and Infinite Mania Review
Morbid Angel, Howls of Ebb, Esoctrilihum, Portal and Ulthar all are imitated during individual sections of Split Formations And Infinite Mania and Venomous Echoes usually do so in a tasteful manner, straddling the line between inspiration and pastiche overall rather successfully. I have heard all of this better elsewhere, but the combination and variety is pleasant, even at the risk of turning into needle drop death metal.
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Acathexis – Immerse Review
For those going into Immerse and expecting a riff-driven black metal album, prepare to be disappointed. Acathexis has a unique sound that sets them apart from other black metal bands—a crushing, comforting cocoon of bleakness that completely and utterly envelops the listener. Explosively meditative for black metal bats?
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Suffer – Grand Canvas of the Aesthete Review
Grand Canvas of the Aestethe sees no love lost on Carcassian Heartwork-isms thickened with the slime of grooves straight out of Morbid Angel’s Domination. When these two styles mix together successfully like the rasping vocal cadence over the grand death metal groove, Suffer may free you from this mortal coil. But do they earn a death (metal) certificate of success?
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Aberration – Refracture Review
Aberration specializes in caustic, spiteful blackened death metal that seeks to crush you into a paste over the runtime. The debut LP is akin to stepping up to bat for the first time, so, how far does Aberration knock the proverbial ball?
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Crypts of the Unknown: Bound and Gagged – Fornicate the Gutted
Have you ever come across an album that you enjoy, but seemingly no other human in existence knows about it? Or maybe an album that ticks all the boxes in a style that doesn’t get a lot of love? Oh, and of course, you’ve found this album long after it would have mattered to help the band spread the word… or perhaps it’s just your dirty little secret… Join us as Scuttlegoat reminisces on Bound and Gagged’s 2002 release Fornicate the Gutted. It may not be perfect, but how would you know?
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Sacrificial Vein – Black Terror Genesis Review
If there’s one style of extreme metal that I vibe hard with, it’s what I like to call “hell sounds”. At its roots black metal, death metal, or a combination, this soundscape also is also heavily infused with ambience to craft a nightmarish atmosphere. Brand new band Sacrificial Vein are fine purveyors of this blend of haunting music on their debut album Black Terror Genesis. It seems this spine chilling genesis has really enraptured our Cosmo, but by which trickery?
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Wounds – Ruin Review
Fast runs, hairpin turns and extended harmonies, Wounds does it rather competently, making my head nod during select moments and my foot tap throughout. But some albums are harder to review than others.
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Crypts of the Unknown: 2024 Vol. 1
