On December 13, we celebrated the twentieth anniversary of Chuck Schuldiner dying of AIDS. While early Death was some solidly good music and the band remained quality through Human, Chuck turned from the metal philosophy of nature-worship to a modernist ideal of humanism, and lost his soul in the process.
No CommentsTags: AIDS, chuck schuldiner, death, death metal
by Ton Basileion
Working within the flutterstrum-tremolo tradition of early death metal, Savage Deity rip and tear through several anthems to violence on their latest release. Songs follow the “skeleton” of death metal established by Slayer, with an introduction followed by alternating verse and chorus riffs, then give way to variations in the second half of each piece before returning to the initial themes. This in turn creates the kaleidoscopic effect that the best of death metal is (in)famous for.
1 CommentTags: death metal, savage deity
by Ton Basileion
Putridarium create tunneling melodies that foster the sensation of exploring a vast network of caves. These songs use trudging, chugging power chords to add a sense of violence to the foreboding. The effect resembles the deepening evil on Blaspherian’s EP Allegiance to the Will of Damnation.
3 CommentsTags: death metal, putridarium
As it stands, Mortal Ones Scream in Horror is not a good release; it is boring, to be blunt, but the band has great instincts in songwriting and with a little more confidence in their riffcraft and ability to play in tempo, they will go great places.
3 CommentsTags: death metal, haalbuaer
Following the lead of South American bands like Mortem and Krisiun, Evil Damn charge ahead with fast riffs from the early days of death metal before the genre fully separated from speed metal, but keep the influence on speed rather than choppy riffs, making an energetic and seamless listening experience.
1 CommentTags: death metal, evil damn
Like most of nowadays death metal, this album has its moments, but fundamentally, is a speed metal and heavy metal hybrid dressed up as death metal. Like rock music, it focuses on establishing tonal centers and then using fills around those to keep its riffs together, instead of getting fully chromatic and using phrasal, through-composed music.
4 CommentsTags: death metal, massacre
Foundational Dutch death metal band Sinister has re-issued its 1990 demo “Perpetual Damnation” on a CD, cassette, and vinyl release titled Perpetual Damnation. You can get your copy from Xtreem Music or on the Hammerheart Records compilation The Blood Past.
No CommentsTags: death metal, hammerheart, sinister, xtreem
Progressive death metal band Sadist, who brought an early fusion of 1970s prog with 1990s technical death metal, intend to revisit their origins with Firescorched, their ninth album, due out in 2022.
5 CommentsTags: death metal, Progressive Death Metal, sadist
One of the heads of the Paul Speckmann hydra — Death Strike, Funeral Bitch, Master, Abomination, and Speckmann Project — Abomination presented an early vision of the grinding punk, speed metal, and 1970s rock fusion that formed the basis of the Speckmann ideal of death metal.
2 CommentsTags: abomination, death metal
Swedish melodic death metal band Unanimated have completed their fourth full-length album, aiming less for the mystical atmosphere of their first but the fast heavy metal riffs of their second, updated for a somewhat contemporary sound.
No CommentsTags: death metal, unanimated
