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Underground Extreme Metal Fanzine


A new review section: Buried by Time And Dust

We added a new review section, coincidentally another Mayhem reference following 'The Past is Alive', with the title 'Buried by Time and Dust'. Over the years, a lot of promos have been gathering dust simply because a fresh wave of promos arrived the following month and they were consigned to oblivion. We will review them here to make a clear distinction with our other reviews. We will also use it to complete a discography in terms of reviews. Feel free to contact us if you would like to submit your music or would like to join the staff.

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Blood Harvest to release Gutvoid’s new EP: “…one can easily do the math and surmise that Gutvoid here are stretching out into epic territory”

July 1, 2024

Blood Harvest Records is proud to present Gutvoid’s highly anticipated new mini-album, ‘Breathing Obelisk’, on CD, 12″ vinyl, and cassette tape formats.

Since their formation in 2019, the ascent of Canada’s Gutvoid has been nothing if not meteoric. From their initially digital-only debut EP, ‘Astral Bestiary’, receiving a physical release courtesy of Blood Harvest to the ‘Four Dimensions of Auditory Terror’ four-way split shared with Blood Spore, Coagulate, and Soul Devourment the following year – again, via Blood Harvest – Gutvoid churned forth a world-eating Metal of Death that duly devoured the listener whole. Still, massive potential lurked, and it arrived with one of the most fully-formed Death Metal debut albums in 2022’s ‘Durance of Lightless Horizons’. Hailed far and wide upon its release and thereafter, ‘Durance of Lightless Horizons’ simply intensified all the hallmarks of their sound – heaving, vertigo-inducing, spiraling like tar-thick smoke – and then sharpened them with a sterling sense of clarity, allowing their yearning, come-hither melodicism to evoke both melancholy and malice.

Taken individually, each of Gutvoid’s recordings builds upon the last but offers surprising twists of the knife. And so it goes with the band’s brand-new mini-album ‘Breathing Obelisk’. Totaling 31 minutes across four tracks, one can easily do the math and surmise that Gutvoid here are stretching out into epic territory. Fittingly, they open up their world-eating sound to include looser execution, more fist-pumping mid-tempos, hypnotic repetition of melody, linear-but-not-really songwriting, and a strange style of grooviness…or “grooviness” in that it’s akimbo and angular and yet still supremely rhythmic in a manner most surprising for tried-and-true Death Metal. Here, the band eschew much of the doominess of their preceding work and instead allow those vast vistas of space pregnant with tension & terror to be built back up with rolling tank-treads of mountainous might. The cover art to ‘Breathing Obelisk’, then, begins to make more sense in the context of this textural shift; it’s Gutvoid at their most approachable and most alien – clearly recognizable, fully in focus, and yet somehow incomprehensible for the strange transmissions they’re emitting from some unknown outpost. That these four songs run anywhere from six minutes to nearly ten bespeaks not bloat, but rather a desire to patiently unfold their dread landscapes – and then do so with a remarkable memorability that’s not predictable verse/chorus formulae. And the rougher, dirtier production heightens this unfussy uniqueness that much more.

Cementing their status as one of the best still-young Death Metal entities around, Gutvoid challenge you to stand before their ‘Breathing Obelisk’.

Insineratehymn signs deal with Memento Mori: “Simply, Insineratehymn is Death Metal for Death Metal maniacs, by Death Metal maniacs…”

June 29, 2024

In our endless quest to push and support current underground acts that perpetuate the odor of vintage Death Metal, we’re extremely thrilled to announce a new signing: Insineratehymn, from U.S.A.

Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Insineratehymn has managed to position itself in the taste of underground extreme Metal fans with its powerful Death Metal clearly influenced by classic bands, giving a masterclass in 90’s Death Metal, from the spiraling vortexes of early Tampa to the sewage to come from New York, through the eerie emanations from Europe and the dissonance at the dawn of the new millennium.

Naturally, the band bend those classic tropes in a variety of ways, all of which bespeak their own identity: scuzzy, slicing, clanging, angular, brutal beatdown, ignorant stomp, or just straightforward killshot: no weapon is left aside. Simply, Insineratehymn is Death Metal for Death Metal maniacs, by Death Metal maniacs who understand and appreciate the rich-yet-codified history of the genre. This is for fans of Sadistic Intent, Monstrosity, Suffocation, Deicide, Grave, Edge of Sanity, Demigod, Sentenced…

Insineratehymn’s third full-length is due out on October 21st, 2024. Memento Morii will release the CD version and Rotted Life will take care of the LP and tape versions.

Deceitome ready to release new album via Raw Skull Recordz: “Perhaps it’s cause Estonia was under Swedish rule 3 centuries ago but the massive HM2 chainsaw is all over the place”

June 26, 2024

Keep your eyes and ears wide open for one of the heaviest, hardest and most ferocious releases of the year! It is with great delight we present you the amazing cover art is done by Priit Salusoo for for the self-titled 2nd album of Deceitome.

Although the band is no stranger to the Raw Skull family we’re amazed at what this Estonian quintet pulled off on this album. Perhaps it’s cause Estonia was under Swedish rule 3 centuries ago but the massive HM2 chainsaw is all over the place.

The destructive cocktail of Stockholm 90s Death Metal mixed with a heavy Bolt Thrower / Incantation atmosphere is a guarantee for some serious banging of the head!

WolfkKult Religion and Merg & Been Records to release Mergelland cassette: “This special release features four tracks from the original sessions…”

June 22, 2024

During the lockdowns, the idea emerged to translate the rich history of Limburg into a unique Black Metal sound, giving birth to Mergelland. After the first demo ‘Verloren in de Groeve,’ the plan for a full album titled ‘Lichtenberg’ was conceived. However, this album never saw the light of day, and Mergelland faded away. The original concept lived on, evolving into what we now know as Wurgilnõ.

Four years later, WolfKult Religion and Merg & Been Records proudly present ‘De Lichtenberg Sessions 2020’, to be expected in August. This special release features four tracks from the original sessions, carefully preserved and now finally available on a beautifully crafted tape. Limited to only 50 copies, with 10 of them in a special edition, this is a unique opportunity for collectors and fans to own a piece of this remarkable history.

Revel in Flesh into a state of slumber: “…album No.6 won’t be released as they were supposed to be”

June 19, 2024

Ralf “Haubersson” Hauber made the following statement:

Servants of the Deathkult,
Haubersson speaking:

The evolution of 2023 and a bunch of long-term conflicts within the band finally marked the end of the last known line-up. Fabian, Magge and Henrik announced their departure from Revel in Flesh and the common firm that connected all four core members. This line-up reached its interpersonal and creative end. All further live appearances have been canceled and at the current stage the last remaining recordings of what should have been album No.6 won’t be released as they were supposed to be. Obviously because it would be nothing more than a compromise that no one really wants.

Of course this announcement will be a shocker to all supporters, but the music of the Revel in Flesh discography lives on. And most of all your support will always be a part in a decent box of good memories. Thanks from the bottom of the heart!!!

At the current stage I am the only remaining core member of the lineup. We wanna thank session member Jonas for his contribution since 2021.

There are still a lot of mixed emotions, but parting ways offers new possibilities in life for all of us.
I wish well to everyone.

Revel in Flesh will embark now into a sort of slumber status. I need a break to get back to strength again (health issues) and to think about how the legacy of the Deathkult could develop or not. Since we deal with DEATH METAL you never know when the corpses come back from the dead.

More info: Revel in Flesh

Burial Remains and Raw Skull Recordz announces new album: “The dynamics between fucked up thrashy riffs and pounding midtempo parts on this album really gets the best out of these songs.”

June 19, 2024

Risen from the unholy grave, and more alive then ever… Burial Remains.

We are excited to finally show you the sickening artwork for their brand new upcoming album ‘Adversarial’
Dutch Death Metal powerhouse Burial Remains offers us 9 tracks of crushingly, heavy old school Death Metal with a saw that’s ready to buzz. Some of the songs on the tracklist are ‘King Of Kings’, ‘Soulreaper’, ‘Rejoice The Fall’, ‘Miasma Of Guilt’ and ‘Know Thy Kingdom’. ‘Adversarial’ will be released by Raw Skull Recordz (CD) and Into It Records (cassette) on October 25th.

For buyers of physical formats, there is a bonustrack that will not be on spotify or any other shitty streaming service. So you’d better be buying!

With a new drummer in their ranks they entered the FDMP studio for the recordings of their third album. Mixing and mastering was in the hands of multi-talented youngster Xander Bridge (Eternal, Blood Loss) this time around.

Wim de Vries (vocals/guitars) commented: “The dynamics between fucked up thrashy riffs and pounding midtempo parts on this album really gets the best out of these songs. We really wanted to capture the energy of our live shows on this album. I think Xander Bridge really got that in the mix and made sure the intensity will explode from your speakers while listening.”

NO COMPROMISES!

Lucifericon to release new EP via Invictus Productions: “Sabatraxas’ is about heralding the darkness, finding yourself in it and finally becoming it…”

June 4, 2024

Invictus Productions is proud to present a special EP from Lucifericon, ‘Sabatraxas’, on 12″ vinyl format.

For 15 years now, the Netherlands’ Lucifericon have been crafting a noble Metal of Death that’s both traditionally rooted and boundless in its inspiration. From early EPs ‘The Occult Waters’ (2012) and ‘Brimstone Altar’ (2016) to the breakout debut album ‘Al-Khem-Me’ in 2018 and its masterful follow-up ‘The Warlock of Da’ath’ in 2022, Lucifericon have never been ones to rush this craft; each recording is deliberate, imparting a particular sensation unique from the last but always somehow sounding like the same band. Inertia Metal this is not: deeply personal occultism given sonic form, free-flowing yet focused, has been their stock in trade for a decade and a half.

To celebrate this particular Left Hand Path, Lucifericon are now releasing a special anniversary EP titled ‘Sabatraxas’. Evenly split into two halves, the first three songs are leftover tracks from ‘The Warlock of Da’ath’ sessions, which impart lurking dread and hulking surge, dusted with tastefully fleeting lead work – muscular, serpentine, sooty, and unmistakably Lucifericon without a whiff of the over-familiar or retreading past glories. The three tracks that follow are live readings of ‘Khidir’s Urn’, ‘Qliphotic Trance’ (both from ‘The Warlock of Da’ath’), and ‘Sevenfold’ from ‘Al-Khem-Me’. Passionately performed and powerfully rendered, Lucifericon prove they are as potent live as they are on record.

“‘Sabatraxas’ is about heralding the darkness, finding yourself in it and finally becoming it,” the band expound. “It is walking the solitary and lonely road – exactly as we have been doing since Lucifericon’s inception. It is about the lore and custom of this cunning arte.”

Skelethal ready with new album: “…over the past decade, the quartet have finessed that style of Death Metal into one that feels classic rather than simply “old””

May 28, 2024

Hells Headbangers is proud to present Skelethal’s highly anticipated third album, ‘Within Corrosive Continuums’, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.

Formed in 2012, Skelethal have been at the forefront of the now-fertile French Death Metal scene. While many of the band’s primary influences have been Swedish – Entombed, Carnage, and Dismember – over the past decade, the quartet have finessed that style of Death Metal into one that feels classic rather than simply “old”. Call it intrinsically understanding what makes Death Metal DEATH METAL or simply possessing the songwriting nous to add to such a hallowed canon rather than merely milking, but Skelethal have proven to be contenders to the throne. First full-length evidence was 2017’s ‘Of the Depths…’, followed by 2020’s ‘Unveiling the Threshold’, which saw a lineup change and bold steps beyond Swedeath (and both released by Hells Headbangers), and now arrives LP#3 to all but assure that ascent to the throne.

Tellingly titled ‘Within Corrosive Continuums’, Skelethal’s third album equally encapsulates their past and builds upon it in noble ways. While it’s predecessor saw a slight uptick in clarity, here do Skelethal carry forward that clarity with a conspicuous dirtying-up of tone. The production’s as powerful as ever, so it could be argued that that rediscovered grit & grime come more in the band’s execution – or, more accurately, the songwriting itself. ‘Within Corrosive Continuums’ immediately sounds like the same band who unleashed those prior two (celebrated) LPs, but Skelethal flex a bit differently here, opening up a number of (still-Death Metal) influences and transforming them into riffs and rhythms that ever so slightly more adventurous, all without (crucially) losing their characteristic directness. As such, the bulk of these largely-five-minute-long songs feel twice as fast, so feverish is the band’s intensity, but dread-draped hooks and crushing heaviness still rule the day. Put another way, Skelethal take on textures that are more personal and somber, but keep the expression resolutely Death Metal. Simply witness the 13-minute closing juggernaut, appropriately enough the title track: hearing is believing, and Skelethal will make believers out of even the crankiest “old school” diehards.

Third albums are always a gamble when it comes to Death Metal; you either sell out, or get stuck in inertia for the rest of your days. Skelethal defy this convention and continue to push their limits, culminating in a deep trip ‘Within Corrosive Continuums’.

Goat Semen to release new EP: “…here’s nothing to hide behind here; there’s simply no escape from ‘Fuck Christ’.”

May 27, 2024

Hells Headbangers is proud to present a brand-new EP from Goat Semen, ‘Fuck Christ’, on CD, 12″ vinyl, and cassette tape formats.

At ground zero of the rebirth and resurgence of South American black/death at the dawn of the new millennium, Goat Semen delivered one of the most classic demos ever with their self-titled 2002 demo, which has seen countless re-editions in the past two decades. As their legendry grew to enviable levels, so, too, did the anticipation for these Peruvian devils’ debut album. But alas, time passed and the fervor ‘n’ anticipation for that first full-length reached critical mass in the metal underground, taking on almost mythical status (not unlike Sadistic Intent’s long-promised debut LP). Finally, it saw the unlight of day in 2015 as ‘Ego Svm Satana’: the ultimate Goat Semen statement, in the making for literally a decade, the album became something of a veritable travelogue across the history of South American metal barbarity the prior three decades. The very end, and also the beginning, ‘Ego Svm Satana’ was suitably CLASSIC, as expected.

But, Goat Semen are never one for half measures, and much like that full-length took at least a decade before it emerged from hellfire fully formed, they’ve only released live albums and a couple splits since then – nothing as substantial as a fully-new recording. Now, nearly a decade after that momentous debut album, Goat Semen return with a comparatively quick-hitting EP in ‘Fuck Christ’. Much like its unapologetic & unadorned title, the Peruvian devils waste no time, kicking in immediately with a swirlingly sulfurous maelstrom of classic Goat Semen proportions.

For a record that comprises five stout songs in 19 electric minutes, ‘Fuck Christ’ feels simultaneously longer and quicker than that runtime suggests, so respectively satisfying and urgent is that hammering barbarity. Naturally, it wouldn’t be Goat Semen if everything wasn’t attacking from every angle all at once, the feeling of imminent implosion lurking around every dark ‘n’ diseased corner; compared to ‘Ego Svm Satana’, ‘Fuck Christ’ exacerbates that mania to an almost overwhelming degree even when the intensity dips down to a doomed trudge. But perhaps the most unique element on this new record is how relatively clean and clear its recording is, with each and every instrument sounding sharp and powerful – nothing “muddy” about Goat Semen fucking Christ here – which in turn makes the band’s inherent grit & grime sound stranger and more depraved. Put another way, there’s nothing to hide behind here; there’s simply no escape from ‘Fuck Christ’.

For those who still hail the old gods of equally early Sarcofago, Krisiun, Hadez, Sextrash, and Mystifier, no matter when their records arrive, you can always count on Goat Semen to ‘Fuck Christ’!

Memento Mori and Krypticy to release new album: “…the quartet seek an evolution towards a more unique personality whilst retaining the classic edge that always defined Krypticy’s approach to the genre”

May 23, 2024

In their endless quest to push and support current underground acts that perpetuate the odor of vintage Death Metal, on July 22nd internationally, Memento Mori is proud to present Krypticy’s highly anticipated second album, ‘The Non-Return’, on CD format.

Krypticy was founded by main composer Alex Guerrero (vocals/guitar) in Málaga, Spain, back in 2013. The band’s debut EP, “Necronomicon”, captured their fondness for old-school Death Metal, most specially of the Floridian kind (Morbid Angel, Obituary, Death, Cancer). By the time they released their debut full-length, ‘Hideous Being’, a few years later, the band was already exhibiting a larger range of influences (Suffocation, Malevolent Creation, Deicide, Decapitated) and had begun to play live, sharing the stage with bands such as Lapidated, Avulsed, Wormed, Aposento, and Necrophiliac, among others.

With the band solidifying their lineup by the end of 2022 – Guerrero alongside Pancho Vázquez (drums), Thomas Schenk (bass/backing vocals), and Sergio Álvarez (guitar) – Krypticy signed with Memento Mori for their sophomore full-length. And now it arrives, bearing the ominous title ‘The Non-Return’. As forecasted by its stark cover artwork (courtesy of Cardaver Art) and cryptic nomenclature, ‘The Non-Return’ sees Krypticy aiming to push the limits their already consolidated sound. Undoubtedly still tried & true Death Metal, there’s nevertheless a strive for something more spiritual here, as the quartet seek an evolution towards a more unique personality whilst retaining the classic edge that always defined Krypticy’s approach to the genre.

Mind you, this isn’t doublespeak for going all-out “prog” or leaving behind Death Metal altogether (and still calling it such); rather, the band have begun to more fluently speak different dialects within the same language, producing a multilingual approach that can only but strengthen the sum effect. So, while the traditional tropes of late ’80s thrashing and early ’90s grinding are well and accounted for, there’s a markedly angular aspect to Krypticy’s songwriting on ‘The Non-Return’, which works up a fever & fury when riffs and riffs and riffs attack, one mercilessly after the other, the rhythm section surging and staying linear and ultimately producing a memorability that easily evades verse/chorus structures.

So, for those who willingly have their minds warped by such unfussy sleepers as Suffocation’s ‘Pierced From Within’, Malevolent Creation’s ‘Stillborn’, Decapitated’s ‘The Negation’, and Diabolic’s ‘Infinity Through Purification’, prepare to arrive at your destination with Krypticy’s ‘The Non-Return’!

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