Written by: Blackie Skulless
After Midnight Assassin cemented Sadistic Force as a true, *ahem* force to be reckoned with, and not just another decent black/thrash outfit that checks all the boxes, it does make one wonder how much more they can evolve. If sticking to the same dynamic formula is the move, then the truth is not too much. This didn’t stop the Texans from attempting several steps forward, and if anything, their recent EP of last year is a testament to that. Titled Morbid Odyssey, they’ve taken a similar general idea and cleaned it up a bit, all the while injecting some pretty extreme fervor in several ways. Before even noting the differences in execution, the production alone would have felt like a pivot elsewhere, and I’ll be damned if it didn’t make things sound bigger. Sneaking in melodies and nods to more traditional metal influence is still present, but the drums feel far more ferocious this time around, and the riffs far thicker and marshier. Thus, while I’d still call this a black/thrash effort at its core, Sadistic Force made themselves sound heavier, with more might behind the kicks. It’s like what would happen if you asked a death metal artist to play this genre instead.
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Written by: Blackie Skulless
Upon a simple look, Leatherhead is one of those bands you can almost immediately predict what you’re in for; campy, horror themed traditional metal. By this point, this style is kind of a dime a dozen, but if it only costs a dime then perhaps its worth it. The Greeks’ second record is the one that snagged my attention, titled Violent Horror Stories, in case you needed yet another indicator of the subject at hand. More importantly is the fact that as straightforward as this outfit is, there are some distinguishing features that made me actually want to revisit. For one, there’s a heavy emphasis not only on speed metal construction, but a certain oomph that hearkens back to the USPM movement of the ‘80s, complete with thick layers coating the speedy riffs and a powerful falsetto frontman. Moreover, despite the shorter runtime, there’s a decent ear for hook placement and variation that prevents any stagnance. Thus, as predictable as you were expecting an album that looks like this, and an opening track titled “V.H.S.” to sound, you may be a little surprised yourself.  Written by: The Administrator
It feels special to become aware of a band upon the release of their first single. This is especially so when said single (along with the total audio/visual package of the accompanying music video) is so blatantly intriguing. So exciting. So fresh. Wince and Frisson's chaotic and disquieting KÄRRHÄXAN was, arguably, the perfect first single. The listening/watching experience set the tone for an album rollout extremely well. After writing about said track, I have found myself revisiting the music video quite frequently to extract more of that delightful electrical feeling I had upon initial exposure. But! After witnessing a debut, it feels even special-er to be invited to premiere a band's second track (plus music video). Which brings us to today's track (plus music video) in question. The ritualistically entitled Liftoach Pandemonium is embedded below, available for your listening pleasure/intrigue/discomfort several days before official release. As always, we'll be waiting on the other side of the fold, long-winded analysis and words of recommendation presented proudly. Check it out! 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Worm are an outfit that I find extremely fascinating, for nothing more than the way they took the doom/death style that I often credit to having a one-to-two album shelf-life and breaking that precedent entirely. 2019’s Gloomlord was the album that put them “on the map” (and on my radar), but it wasn’t until Foreverglade that they became a force I felt worth reckoning with, and to this day I get little out of the first two records. When that record dropped, I could only surmise moving forward that maybe the North Americans had one more worthwhile disc in them, which then came in the form of Bluenothing, an EP that could pass for a full-length to some bands. Having established themselves as an oddball black/death/doom hybrid, I really couldn’t imagine what more could come. I say this not only because that’s a lot to swallow as is, but realizing the latest effort Necropalace crossed the hour long mark made me think even more that this would just be more of the same stuff but longer. But good lord man, here we are! I can’t in full honesty claim the “doom” aspect of this sound on album number four has gone away, as it’s packed with stomping crawls of fury, and “space between the space” caveman-isms that tend to define the doom/death world. Yet, I do think we’ve reached a point where that’s now simply a facet and no longer a base ingredient, and the death metal traces are more distant, other than in sheer feel. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
As what tends to happen, I’ve headed into the early parts of a new year discovering things I missed the year prior. Even labels that I follow closely like Caligari are no exception, as one of their American outfits swung in from out of nowhere late last year. Burning Death are a black/thrash outfit somewhat born out of label-mates Act Of Impalement, sharing two members. Their debut dropped following zero lead-up releases, simply being titled Burning Death. The album art may suggest something different, but the fact of the matter is that this band is pretty straightforward, avoiding any bells and whistles or intricate fluff. Definitely residing on the thrashier end, things stay fast and loose without getting overly chaotic nor feeling underproduced. The clearer delivery under a still blackened hue and gritty vocals definitely gives things the meaner flavor, allowing some room for punk-oriented stomps to fill in the gaps. Such a style wrapped into only eight tracks naturally makes for a pretty short full-length, coming and going before our eyes. ABERRANT EXTERMINATION IMPULSION - Grindcore Is Dead...Long Live Grindcore (Premiere & Review)3/10/2026 
Written by: The Administrator
In a manner misaligned with the genre's inherent brevity, I could happy wax poetic about the virtues of grindcore for hours. Days, even. In other words, prepare for a very long writeup. Grindcore as a genre is intriguing on a wide variety of levels. There's the obvious draw of the music itself, which is the abrasive audio equivalent of having one's skin zested whilst simultaneously being run over by a brush hog. There's the political level--it is irrefutable that a radical left-wing and anti-fascist ethos inform the genre's birth and development. And there's the structural level, which is perhaps the most unique. Grindcore is brisk. It consistently challenges expectations of song structure, of album length. It executes ideas with a keen succinctness that I profoundly admire. Needless to say, I'm always on the hunt for new grind and grind-adjacent music. Which is how, at the top of this year, I found myself listening to Annihilate, the second album from Matthew Brammer's Aberrant Extermination Impulsion. It was the project's second release within like 10 days, and fourth release within a month. I was extremely impressed, both by the sonic environment and the production rate. Aberrant Extermination Impulsion's penchant for finding the oh-so-sweet spot between bristling aggression and concise-yet-pulverizing songcraft was exciting. The project was also vocally anti-fascist, anti-MAGA, and anti-cop, which is always a plus. Indeed, before you press play, one thing is apparent: Aberrant Extermination Impulsion embodies a refreshing outspoken conviction. Matthew is ACAB all day, as evidenced by, y'know, the existence of a track entitled "ACAB." It is always cathartic to hear music that reflects how fucked up everything is, and even more so than previous releases, this album is pissed off. It calls a spade a spade, and it certainly doesn't hide behind apoliticality. "Support Your Local Copkiller" is unambiguous. "Kirkified" is straight to the point. "An Alarming Number of People Have Normalized the Taste of Leather" leaves zero room for interpretation. In a sociopolitical climate where the messaging of the status quo is perpetually disconnected from the reality we are experiencing, it is rousing to witness an inequivocabile Fuck You. Anyways, lets cut the chatter and get to the music, shall we? I'm pleased to premiere below in its entirety Grindcore Is Dead...Long Live Grindcore, the new album from Aberrant Extermination Impulsion. It will be officially released this Friday, March 13th, but you can listen to it (on repeat, preferably) via the embed conveniently lurking below. As always, we'll meet you on the other side!  Written by: Blackie Skulless
Considering how much I absolutely hated the previous Megadeth effort, it’s no surprise that I had extremely heavy reservations going into what Dave and co. are calling their final record. Simply titled Megadeth, there is definitely an intentional vibe that makes a statement on its way out. Shortening the runtime, tightening the writing, and simplifying the formula was a great move. This makes room for more memorability in one track than The Sick… The Dying… And The Dead! could have hoped for in an hour’s entire time. For one, gone are the obnoxious samples, overly ambitious aims at technicality that go nowhere, and spoken-word bullshit that sounds like an edgy teenager that discovered war. In place are sharper rhythms that aim for a truly thrash metal sound, hooks that move with purpose, all under a clear dome that allows everything from the rumbling bass to Dave’s snarl to stand out. Thus, this is structurally pretty sound on paper, and I even dig some of the transitions. Swapping from a straightforward verse into the solos moves more smoothly than you would think throughout the album.  Written by: The Administrator
The words "wince and frisson" in combination immediately evoke a very specific physical reaction, simultaneously positive and negative and ultimately overstimulating in combination. What musical stimuli, I couldn't help but wonder, drives one to such a powerful physiological and somatic response? A level of curiosity this heightened doesn't often apply in the context of a band yet to release any music, but an intriguing moniker (and a Steve Wiener* association) are promo pit cheat codes. Needless to say, I was very excited when Wince and Frisson's debut disso-black/death single hit the inbox, and that excitement has only festered and grown over the course of many listens. "Kärrhäxan" is a stellar first foray, a sharply conceived and intensely executed statement of intent. It very much succeeds at the presumed intended goal of a debut single. 
Written by: The Administrator
On one level, I feel like my work here is already done, simply by benefit of typing the band name in the header. It kinda sells itself, no? With a band name like that--so visceral! so evocative!--what use is my humble endorsement? On another level, however, I like this album, and when I like an album, I like to write about it. And so here I am, bloated wordcount in tow. We slumbering scribes are excited to premiere today, in its entirety, Blood & Oil. This is the sophomore LP from Simon Bryant's "filthy" and "punishing" sludge metal/noise rock/crust punk/etc. project, and serves as the follow-up to Blunt Knife Castration's 2025 debut Live Fast Die Slow. And yes, the mere phrase "blunt knife castration" is enough to describe exactly what Blunt Knife Castration is all about. Sonically, thematically, and perhaps spiritually, the band is as grim and bloody and dark as you are likely imagining. This is gnarly stuff; sludgy and bituminous, filthy and snarling. Less-than-surgical and surprisingly experimental. Noisy and chaotic. Dark and often deliberately uncomfortable. If music can be described as ugly, Blood & Oil may very well be the poster child. Complimentary, of course. As a body of work, it ups the ante on noisy weirdness, and ultimately paints a pretty dark picture. Before I get too far ahead of myself, I must encourage you to give Blood & Oil a listen below! As always, we'll meet you on the other side.  Written by: Blackie Skulless
If your brain works anything like mine, your first instincts upon discovering this Spanish quintet would be Halloween III and a nod to KISS (going by Wicked Lester before 1973). Jokes aside, Wicked Leather is still pretty obvious with their schtick, and if the naming doesn’t give it away, the album art will. Spooky traditional metal deep in the occult themes with a somewhat safe formula delivered cleanly is an easy way to sum them up. Season Of The Witch is the outfit’s debut record, packing this into a digestible thirty-eight minutes. Don’t let the safe descriptor fool you though, because there’s an outlier amidst this. Vocalist Yami has a technique that I’d absolutely call an acquired taste and that I’ll at least call unique. It could be described as a hum-snarl that goes overboard on the nasal sensation, one that even after several listens is admittedly tough to get behind at times. Still, her voice weirdly matches the vibe, as musically this is a warmer take on the traditional style that prioritizes melody over meanness. To top this off, most of the songs take on a minor key, degrading the leads into something that feels equally welcoming and sinister, like the devil tricking you into his lair. |
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