In this feature, we look back at a number of reviews from the previous month, focusing on albums that were released in that month, or are yet to be released. We perform this retrospective with several members of the staff, who were also given the opportunity to have their say. This can confirm the judgement of the original review, or perhaps offer a slightly different perspective. Above all, it is intended to bring a few more albums to light in these fleeting modern times: you never know if something might have flown under the radar.
If the first version is late, that can happen. If the second version is late, a pattern is starting to develop. If the third version is late, we are talking about a tradition.
In April, reviews were published for the latest releases from Immolation, Putred, Winterfylleth, the Corpus Offal / Undergang split, Ordh, Hrob, Necroccultus and Black Cilice, a nice mix of well-known acts and underground gems. And with the return of old staff members DPF and Stijn, let’s see what the rest of the team thought…
Immolation – Descent
Nuclear Blast
Immolation is one of those bands that needs no introduction, from the very moment someone says “yes… Death Metal is my kind of thing”.
It comes as no surprise that ‘Descent’ was well received by Huw, though he viewed the album as a cohesive whole rather than a collection of tracks that could be considered individual classics: “I find that the album is a very dark experience that explores a specific tone and mood, and the record works best when examined as a whole piece. Immolation are as relevant today as they were in the nineties, largely due to a uniquely evil sound, and their carefully considered evolution through production stylings over the years”. Although not in the review, he messaged me the following to complete his Immolation worship: “One of Death Metal’s greatest acts have released a particularly dark entry into their legendary catalogue here! Ross Dolan’s vocals are earth-shattering and Robert Vigna is as much of a phenom as always!!!”
DPF, being an Immolation fan, is quite brief and clear with his thoughts: “Finally a new one, and a good one again. Their catchiest since ‘Unholy Cult’, their best since ‘Shadows in the Light’. You get your typical Immolation, just more direct, with some nuances here there to keep it fresh”. Chantelle kept it fairly short too: “A dark and unrelenting monster of an album, proof that Immolation are and always have been one of the best and most important Death Metal bands in the world”.
Rocky was a bit more extensive with his commentary: “One cannot overstate the megalith-like-suffocating allure, that Immolation still commands. Their 12th full-length ‘Descent’ is the continuation of those dissonance and brooding atmosphere, at its deep. It doesn’t just sound heavy, yet it feels like the end. But the production is something where Immolation loses its raw edges. While each number is there to make one awe, but they do not remain memorable anymore, as bitter it may sounds. This memorability kept them interesting until 2010 ‘Majesty and Decay’. These veterans kept felling the fire inside, and despite the monotonous and no-raw-edge productions in their last few records, yet, they are growing forth the colossal discography, 38 years in growing. These New York death metal giant quartet of Ross Dolan, Robert Vigna, Steve Shalaty and Alex Bouks, might not get downer sooner”.
Apeleon also shed some light on it: “It’s a rarity to find an Immolation review not containing the word ‘consistent’ in it. However, it’s just absolutely true as Immolation has never deviated from their unique path. Their craft of Death Metal is ridden with unconventional melodies and twisted guitar riffs. ‘Descent’ further cements Immolation’s legacy. It’s absolutely everything you’ve come to expect, but it remains to pull you in without getting stale. That alone is an admirable feat. Props to the guys for delivering yet another dark and excellent album”.
And Stijn wraps up the Immolation segment with this thoughts: “There are certainties in life that are anchor points amidst a whirling storm of chaos. The sun rises in the morning and sets at night, the seasons, everyone dies in the end, and Immolation never disappoints. Their new album ‘Descent’ is already their twelfth, and Immolation still manages to sound fresh yet brutal, a delicate balance between tasteful melodies and raging chaos”.
Putred – Blestemul din adânc
Awakening Records, Futhark Records, Iron Fortress Records
Ah, beautiful Romania. The land of the Carpathian wilderness, the bloodthirstiness of Vlad the Impaler, the genius of Gheorghe Hagi, and mythical Transylvania. And let the latter be the home turf of old school Death Metal combo Putred.
Rikki R. described the album as: “Death Metal with striking results as it is midpaced with occasional gallops, low guttural growls, mixed with a few higher pitched shrieks for good measure, all done in their native language… Recommended for anyone who loves the vibe of a good old European b movie horror and for fans of bands like Grave, Asphyx, Autopsy and Fulci.”
Rocky listened to the album and came up with the following musings: “This is unadulterated underground worship that stinks of the morgue. ‘Blestemul din adânc’ taps directly into the primordial ooze of early Asphyx and Grave, dragging the listener into a mid paced swamp of rotting riffs with thick and cavernous bass lines. The Romanian’s quintet isn’t here to reinvent anything but kept the mark that they are here to crush it with old school mold and morbid faithfulness.”
Apeleon didn’t have to think twice either: “Unpure, filthy, cruel Death Metal is what Putred deliver! Like a corpse in decay, it withers slowly until only shreds remain. It’s bands like these that, for me at least, fully manage to reanimate the ugly sound of Old School Death Metal as it was done in the late 1980’s! love the basic songstructures and, above all, the prominent bass in the mix.”
Stijn makes it immediately clear from the start what you can expect from Putred: “Metal music is a gargantuan denominator of different styles. Many bands explore the limits of technical prowess, others incorporate all sorts of alien genres to create and evolve. And then there are bands like Putred. They don’t need to be the fastest. Or the most technical. Or the most innovative. Doomy sodden riffs that pull you in, caveman vocals and eerie melodies and solos that focus more on atmosphere than speed. Old school midpaced Death Metal, these guys stand for what they do.”
Huw, as the last in line, didn’t waste many words on it: “Sloshing rancid guts galore! This is a grime-caked piece of entertaining filth! Brutal, claustrophobic, and it will have you headbanging your way into a state of self decapitation!!!”
Winterfylleth – The Unyielding Season
Napalm Records
For some of us, Winterfylleth still feels like a “new” band, and although we will stubbornly keep claiming that, this act from Manchester (United Kingdom) will actually celebrate their 20th anniversary next year, with ‘The Unyielding Season’ marking their 9th full-length over the years.
Huw was undoubtedly positive but also critical of the album, yet just like with Immolation, he directed the reader’s attention to the bigger picture: “Despite the first half of the record becoming quite stale and one-dimensional after the initial two tracks, the album’s second leg is much stronger. Some of the hard-hitting deeper cuts later within the album do favours to redeem the listening experience as a whole.”
Apeleon had his own thoughts on the matter: “Winterfylleth, to me, as always been a captivating band whilst you’re listening to their music, but I somehow don’t see myself revisiting their stuff to often. ‘The Unyielding Season’ won’t change that sadly. Yet, there is beauty to be found here, despite the foreboding tone of the album. Their songs still carry a strong triumphant (almost Folkish?) tone within their brute tremolo heavy assaulting riffs. Winterfylleth doesn’t reinvent themselves, but further solidify their sound.., which is perfectly fine with me.”
Rocky views Winterfylleth’s work a bit more favourably: “Winterfylleth latest record is a raging wildfire of an album that solidly channels the grim, turbulent and absurd anxieties of our era. Where their previous works felt like an icy and distant storm gathering over the horizons, ‘The Unyielding Season’ brings the threat right to ear holes with blistering intensity and also some triumphant poetic like melancholy. Their debut for Napalm Records is a fierce, sprawling work of Black Metal that sounds both utterly desperate and defiant.”
Chantelle is also on the positive side when it comes to Winterfylleth: “Winterfylleth remain triumphant and vital with ‘The Unyielding Season’. Equal parts ferocious and uplifting, they continue to uphold their legacy of English heritage Black Metal with a style and skill rarely matched by bands that have haunted the British shores for this long.”
With Stijn’s opinion as the final entry, the scale ultimately tips towards positive rather than critical: “From the very start of this album, Winterfylleth pulls you into their structured cacophony like a T11 tornado. Although they stylistically do not excel in originality, these Anglo-Saxons distinguish themselves with quality arrangements and a keen sense of melody. Every two years they have released an album since 2008, 2026 is no exception. In my opinion one of their better efforts, with a well executed Paradise Lost cover as dessert.”
Corpus Offal / Undergang – Corpus Offal / Undergang [Split]
Extremely Rotten Productions
The Danish band Undergang is obviously no stranger to us, as we have been closely following the antics of these gory Death Metal fanatics for years. With Corpus Offal, they have found a young band to release a split with. The moment the split was announced, Huw was all over it: “Merging together in the most disgusting, rancid, and sickening of ways, the two bands here are practically made for one another. Both tracks offer no restraint, and this release is twelve minutes of disorientating Gore Metal glory.”
Undergang… Stijn’s interest was piqued immediately: “If you ever wondered what it would feel like if your head got caught in the collision between a bulldozer and a freight train, this split release might just be your answer. It’s loud, earthshaking and it’s over before you know it. Both bands challenge eachother in sheer antediluvian savagery, that will leave you gasping for air.”
Appeleon agrees wholeheartedly: “How nice, these two bands thought sharing a tour wasn’t enough… they’d had to record a split together as well! Always a cool souvenir. Corpus Offal is up first and their take on Doom/Death Metal is rather rotten and obscure. Their song jumps in different directions throughout it’s length, but it is done tastefully. ”The whole is bigger than the sum of its parts” can definitely be applied here. Undergang comes last and just do what they do best. Their sound is dark, as well, but it’s much more riff and groove focussed. What struck me about their side is that the goregrind influences seem more prominent that usual, but with their music feeling kinda gross it is surely not out of place!”
And if you thought Rocky had a different opinion… guess again: “This almost looks and feels like is a match made in some subterranean flesh mangled zone. The split delivers exactly the kind of wet, sewer drenched, skull crushing Death Metal that fanatic souls crave, when the lights go out or darkness taken over suddenly. It’s raw, primitive, and devoid of modern pretense, makes the output pure solid low end auditory sickness committed to tape by masters of the grotesque. Turn it up and slowly get rot.”
In case you are still not convinced about how we feel within the headquarters about this split 7”, let Huw make it clear to you one more time: “Shut up and spend a dozen minutes of cranium-mashing vomitous repulsion with this release already.”
Ordh – Blind in Abyssal Realms
Contemn Light, Pulverised Records
Chantelle took it upon herself to listen to and review Ordh. Their Progressive Death Metal, with its progressive elements rooted in the 1970s, is not for everyone, not even within the offices of VM-Underground. However, the album was in the right hands with Chantelle: “Ordh manage to maintain a sound that is aggressive and yet sophisticated, mixing Death Metal and Progressive Metal without coming across as pretentious… Ordh have crafted a cerebral, cavernous monster of a debut and I suspect we will be seeing them on many AOTY lists.” Chantelle’s words are backed up by Huw: “This new Ordh record features great riffing, vocals and atmosphere. Just like that serpentine / stormy album artwork, this record will pull you into its roughly scaled abstract cacophony.”
Stijn also gave the album a few spins: “A band that follows in the current stream of progressive death metal bands. The intensity of death metal is craftfully amalgamated with clean, nigh psychedelic passages. The guitar melodies give away the preference of this band for the classic leads from the early NWOBHM era. Interesting album, meticulously crafted, yet the band would thrive more with a bit more originality.”
Hrob – Brána chladu
Memento Mori, Night Terrors Records
After reviewing the self-titled demo, we were rather pleased to receive the debut full-length. This was certainly evident from Crisan A.’s review: “As any Death/Doom band should, Hrob manages to put you into a vegetative state with their slow and heavy riffs that are often interrupted by parts where they unleash the carnage upon the listener’s ears with tremolo-picked riffs and blast beats, in such a way that creates a perfect balance between the slow, rotting madness and the pummeling aggression… ‘Brána chladu’ is definitely one of the more unique Death Metal releases of 2026, and I can guarantee that if you are into slow-paced Death Metal like Incantation or Disembowelment and you enjoy a bigger emphasis on atmosphere, you should do yourself a favour and check out Hrob’s debut album.”
Stijn echoes Crisan A.’s sentiments: “These Slovakian gloomsters are ready to conquer the world with their debut on Memento Mori. Elementary yet effective hooks and transitions, that fully focus on building a creepy ethos of slime-covered dungeons. I like them best when they drop the pace to subzero, dragging you by the hair into their sick, ghoulish vale.”
Rocky is equally positive after hearing the debut: “Slovakian Death/Doom that feels like being buried alive in wet, freezing soil and eventually transformed into a monolith. ‘Brána chladu’ captures the desolation and sorrow of the early ’90s pioneers like Disembowelment. With exploiting sewer-level grunts and spine-chilling toned melodic leads that cut right through gloom and doom. It’s damp, suffocating, and should be interesting for those who prefer their Metal slow, agonizing, and supernatural.”
Huw concludes with: “This is a gorgeous and entrancing work of snowy Death Doom. The crunch of the guitar tone is particularly nasty.”
Necroccultus – The Afterdeath Blackness
Terror from Hell
I could write an intro myself, but Dzor already put it perfectly in his review: “Few Death Metal scenes are as underrated as Mexico. Acts like Shub Niggurath, Cenotaph or The Chasm need no introduction to true acolytes of the underground and were one of the best kept secrets in the early 90s.” And I can only agree…
And Dzor goes on for a bit: “Necroccultus are not betrothed to any one band in their sound, instead showcasing the raw and primal energy of late 80s/early 90s Death Metal in all its splendour. The guitar work is a fast and penetrating wall of sound, cleverly combining the thrashiness and whammy bar solos of Possessed and Morbid Angel with the ominous tremolo picks of Incantation… While there are still many worthwhile bands within the Mexican underground, Necroccultus radiates the ancient spirit of those that made the Latin American country such a hotbed for Extreme Metal all those years ago.”
Rocky follows in his wake: “Mexican Death Metal means no room for gimmicky. Those who once exposed to Cenotaph, Shub Niggurath, The Chasm and Mortuary, would attest that. And this latest record ‘The Afterdeath Blackness’ states that Necroccultus are still the trustworthy torchbearers of the old ways. The songwriting here balances a subtle sense of epic grandeur with massive, bone breaking riffs that flow naturally from one morbid chapter to the next. It’s an uncompromising and commands total respect.”
DPF kept it short this time: “Finally a new album, it took too long, but came out dark and filthy, with vocals drenched in reverb, out from hell, pure old school madness. Recommended for a pure Death Metal experience.”
Stijn also shared his thoughts: “Mexican barbarians that take pride in flying the flag for classic Death Metal. And I have to give them a heads up for the execution of their intentions. What’s the use of complaining about the lack of originality, if this band explicitly states they have no need to be just that. They have been around for over 20 years and have earned their stripes. Full of dynamics, well placed melodies and guitar solos, deep grunts. There are worse ways to spend 30 minutes of your life.”
Black Cilice – Votive Fire
Iron Bonehead Productions
Iron Bonehead Productions had absolutely no doubts in the promotional text accompanying this release: “Undeniably THE most influential raw Black Metal entity since the first demo releases in 2009, this Portuguese enigma has come to both define and defy that idiom.”
It is quite a statement, but Altars of Mattness certainly endorsed it, in his own words: “Whilst the musical approach generally remains faithful to the traditional Black Cilice sound, there are many novel avenues to be explored amongst this fog laden labyrinth of clandestine mysticism… Whether you enjoy the rawer side of the sub-genre, or simply crave an honest challenge, this album is sure to scratch those itches until it strikes bone. Grandiose in every sense of the word.”
Stijn doesn’t mince his words: “Not for the faint of heart. If you’re heart lies with crisp, wall to wall productions, I suggest you skip this. This is about as lo fi as it gets. The music sounds like the winds of unknown origin in an ink black cavern, with a haunted thaumaturge chanting from an oubliette. Takes me straight back to the days when bands like Baxaxaxa and Azhubham Haani scourged humanity with their first demos.”
Rocky is equally clear about it: “The Portuguese maniacs return to once again to defy the boundaries of raw black metal. ‘Votive Fire’ shimmering with a meditative and hypnotic rawness that feels transformative and deeply spiritual. While the production serves that Darkthorne-esque minimalism and the structures allow the tracks to stand on their own. Hence the overall record sounds bewildering, as if facing some freezing storm of transcendental isolation. In that sense, ‘Votive Fire’ is a ritualistic record that should remain in ears long after the final note fades.”
Huw concludes with: “This band continues to lay claim to more undiscovered territory amongst the realm of contemporary raw Black Metal.”
