**************************************** * * * ##### #### ### #### ##### * * # # # # # # # * * ### #### # # ### # * * # # # # # # # * * # # # ### #### # * * * * # # ##### #### ##### ### # # * * # # # # # # # ## # * * # # # ### # # # # # # * * # # # # # # # # ## * * # ##### #### ##### ### # # * * * **************************************** Issue #3, November 2024 ---------------------------------------- In the previous issue, I wrote reviews for three different bands named Necropolis. This gave me the idea to devote certain issues to a particular theme. It is for this reason that this issue will be devoted entirely to brutal death metal. 2024 was a fantastic year for the genre. Not only did we receive great releases from fresh-faced bands, but several old bands came back from the dead and put out new material. There is simply not enough time in the day to listen to all of them, so in this issue, I'll review the ones that truly stood out to me. At this point, some people might be wondering: what even is brutal death metal? It's obviously a subgenre of death metal, but the word "brutal" in this context is not a mere adjective. The most obvious difference is that the growls are deeper and harsher. The other, more subtle difference is that whereas death metal still retains some semblance of melody, brutal death metal dispenses with all of that and focuses entirely on rhythm. It is true that certain albums in this genre feature impressive guitar work, but for the most part, the other elements of the music exist purely to serve the drums. This manifests itself in two primary ways: slow slams and blistering blasting sections. The end result is something primal, a reflection of humanity's savage and barbaric nature, something that, despite modernist protestations, never went away. Recent Releases Brodequin - Harbinger of Woe The masters of brutality have returned. In the year 2000, Brodequin released their full-length debut Instruments of Torture. That was the moment when metal reached peak brutality. It was one of the best and most influential albums in metal history, for it spawned the blasting brutal death metal microgenre. Bands like Embodied Torment and Cadavoracity owe their existence to it. After releasing two more full-lengths, Brodequin broke up in 2008. They would not stay dead for long, however, for they got back together in 2015. Work was slow, but in 2024, they put out Harbinger of Woe, their first full-length album in twenty years. I am always apprehensive when listening to new material from a band that has been inactive for such a long time. I assume they have gotten rusty or include ill-fitting ideas or have changed their formula so much that they no longer sound like their original selves. Luckily, this album does not fall into any of those pitfalls. On the contrary, it exceeded all of my expectations. Thanks to the aid of Defeated Sanity member Josh Welshman, the production is polished while still retaining the music's heaviness. This is made evident by Jamie Bailey's bass work. The plucked strings create a low-pitched throbbing that sounds like the heartbeat of some unfathomably large creature that dwells deep beneath the Earth's crust. Chad Walls was one of the best drummers in the entire metal scene. I had my doubts as to whether or not former Cesspool of Corruption member Brennan Shackelford could match the high skill ceiling of his predecessor, but he succeeded. He plays an almost constant blast beat assault. Some of these are simple while others are more elaborate. It's not all blasting, though, for he also plays complex mid-paced rhythms full of double bass and equally complex fills. His best performances can be found on "Theresiana" and the title track. Jamie Bailey's vocals are unchanged. His deep, guttural growls sound the same as they did on the band's first full-length, and they're still incredible. His brother Mike still plays guitars. Whereas Jamie's vocals have remained the same, Mike's guitar work has evolved. He still plays plenty of infernal low-pitched palm-muted riffs that sound similar to what he did twenty years ago, but incorporated into these are high-pitched passages that make the music sound more frantic. They sound like natural outgrowths of the band's past work instead of something derived from newer acts. He also plays some chugging riffs and slow chord progressions, but these are not slams. They instead sound more akin to doom metal, which again demonstrate the band's ability to stand out. The best examples of such riffs can be found on the track "Of Pillars and Trees." Harbinger of Woe is Brodequin's best album since Instruments of Torture. I dare say that it might actually be better in some respects. This is one of the best brutal death metal albums ever made. The songwriting and instrumental work are incredible. The band has thoroughly proven that they are still masters in their field. Nile - The Underworld Awaits Us All I first heard about Nile all the way back in 2005, shortly after they released Annihilation of the Wicked. I was already listening to Suffocation's Souls to Deny by that point, so I was no stranger to brutality, but Nile was different. Their technical songwriting was enchanting in a way that few others were. I soon listened to their first three albums, but Annihilation of the Wicked was easily my favorite. "Lashed to the Slave Stick" was simultaneously brutal and catchy; so catchy, in fact, that I listened to it almost every day for a while. After the release of Those Whom the Gods Detest in 2009, I stopped keeping up with them because other bands were grabbing my attention. When I discovered that they released a new full-length called The Underworld Awaits Us All earlier this year, I proceeded to binge their discography so I could get a better idea of how they developed since I last listened to them. At the Gate of Sethu was their weakest album, but the releases after that were better. That finally brings us to their 2024 release The Underworld Awaits Us All, their best album since Those Whom the Gods Detest. The production here is as consistent as it was on the previous two full-lengths. It's both strong and clear. All of the elements can be heard well, including the bass. Speaking of which, the bass is played by Morbid Angel member Dan Vadim Von. He can play at a breakneck pace with relative ease, and his riffs are astoundingly complex. The best display of his skills can be found on "Naqada II Enter the Golden Age." George Kollias once again affirms why he is one of the best and most talented drummers in the entire metal scene. His blast beats are incredible as usual. Few can match his speed or ferocity. Even when he slows down the pace, he furiously hammers away at the double bass. All of the patterns he plays are complex in their design, even the slow doom-like beats. He also plays some of the most extravagant fills I've ever heard. The hoarse growls are performed by Brian Kingsland. I admit that I am not familiar with his past work, but he does a great job here. He has a slightly higher pitch than Dallas Toler-Wade, but he still sounds strong and aggressive. Karl Sanders still performs deep guttural growls, and although he's not as prominent here as he was on past releases, he still does an excellent job. Joining Karl Sanders on guitars is Olkoth member Zach Jeter. They continue to play the band's hallmark Middle Eastern riffs which give the music an exotic atmosphere. Most of the time, though, they play complex chromatic riffs that make for a frantic experience. They also sprinkle in some menacing palm-muted riffs. When the pace is slowed down, they churn out crushing passages. Some of the tremolo riffs they play have a slight black metal quality, most notably those on "To Strike with Secret Fang." Karl continues to play extravagant solos that screech and howl like strange creatures that dwell in the land of the dead. I especially enjoyed the ones played on "Chapter for Not Being Hung Upside Down on a Stake in the Underworld and Made to Eat Feces by the Four Apes." That's an oddly specific scenario, but no matter. An interesting thing to note is that the first two-thirds of the album feature fast-paced songwriting with slower sections scattered in between, while the last third is much slower overall. Karl stated in an interview that he arranged the tracklist in this fashion because he knew that if he put the slow songs at the start, then people would immediately get bored. This practice is actually quite common in metal. Bands will often put fast and energetic tracks at the beginning, and all the slow and more ponderous songs will be saved for last. Usually, when a brutal death metal band goes slow, it takes the form of slam, but Nile is unique, for their slow sections are more akin to epic doom metal. This has been the case since the band's earliest days and it remains true here. The best of these slow sections is the breakdown at the end of the final track, which has an energy similar to what was present at the end of "4th Arra of Dagon" from Those Whom the Gods Detest. The Underworld Awaits Us All is an incredible release. Annihilation of the Wicked is still the band's best, but this album features some of the most impressive songwriting and instrumental work they've ever done. I now hope that this high level of quality remains consistent across their future releases. Carnophage - Matter of a Darker Nature Carnophage is one of the most prominent bands in the Turkish brutal death metal scene, standing tall alongside Cenotaph and Decaying Purity. They formed in 2006 and put out their first full-length Deformed Future//Genetic Nightmare two years later. It took eight years to put out their second album Monument. Another eight years passed before they released their latest album Matter of a Darker Nature. A pattern has emerged. The band likes to take their time to refine the music, and that is especially true with this release. By the way, in case anyone is curious, the cover art by Mitchell Nolte appears to be an homage to "The Temptation of St. Anthony" by Martin Schongauer. The production quality is amazing, for it achieves a balance between heaviness and clarity. It's also a bit atmospheric, most notably on songs like "Until the Darkness Kills the Light." The bass is played by Bengi Öztürk. His low-pitched strings rattle furiously alongside the guitars, giving the music a supernatural menace. Onur Özçelik plays the drums. His blast beats remain furious, his mid-paced rhythms are still packed full of rapid thumping double bass, and his fills are still complex and impressively played. Vocalist Oral Akyol's low-pitched growls sound the same as they did on the band's first two albums. They still sound great, so I have no problem with that. Guitarists Mert Kaya and Serhat Kaya put on an excellent performance. Their chromatic riffs are complex and flow extremely well. Their palm-muted riffs sound nefarious and their tremolo riffs induce a feeling of dread. Their chugging riffs are pulverizing, most notably those on "Death Works Overtime," and they even play a few dissonant riffs on occasion. They then top things off with amazing solos. Matter of a Darker Nature is Carnophage's best album to date. Not only did they heavily refine the music's quality, but they also made it atmospheric, a rare trait in the brutal death metal scene. What wonders will they bless us with in the next eight years? Cephalotripsy - Epigenetic Neurogenesis In 2007, a band named Cephalotripsy released Uterovaginal Insertion of Extirpated Anomalies, the most brutal slam album since Devourment's full-length debut. Opinions on it were mixed, however. Some dismissed it as caveman music, while others were in awe of its savagery. They broke up in 2012, but got back together five years later. Another seven years passed before they released their latest album Epigenetic Neurogenesis. The passage of time has not dulled their edge one bit. They have actually drastically improved. The production is excellent. Everything is clear but still heavy. The drums are manned by Ossification member Albert Rios. He plays some furious blast beats on occasion, but for the most part he plays stomping slam beats and prowling mid-paced rhythms that are stuffed full of stomach-churning double bass. The delivery of all these patterns is precise and their impact is tremendous. He even throws in a few sweet fills. Bassist Diego Sanchez mostly follows the guitars, but his performance makes the music much more malevolent, especially on songs like "Ulcerated Mass of Pestilent Engorgement" and "Induced Primordial Regression." Vocalist Angel Ochoa is still the best part. His gurgling porcine growl is even more sickening than it was in the past. Few can ever hope to be as grotesque as him. This album also features guest vocals by Clayton Meade of Grieve, Ivan Tyulkin of Nauseating, and Matti Way of Disgorge, Pathology, and Liturgy. The guitars are handled by Andres Guzman of Gortuary. As to be expected from this style of music, he plays a lot of excellent chugging riffs, but he also plays palm-muted riffs during the fast-paced parts. To make things even more interesting, he plays a lot of pinch harmonics that screech wickedly. Cephalotripsy did not disappoint. Their brutality has evolved. The production has extra polish. The instrumental work is more precise and more deadly. The vocals have become absolutely beast-like. It was truly worth the long wait. Wormed - Omegon Wormed has earned quite the stellar reputation. They started off as a slightly more technical version of Suffocation, but when they released their first full-length album Planisphaerium in 2003, they had become an entirely different beast. Their music had become chaotic, almost avant garde. Then they fell silent. Everyone thought they broke up, but then they released Exodromos in 2013, then Krighsu three years later, then Metaportal another three years after that. Their latest full-length, Omegon, came out in July of this year. The band's work has gotten very consistent, and this album upholds that consistency. The production has a professional level of polish, but it still hits hard. Former Aposento member Gabriel Valcazar plays the drums. He proves himself to be just as capable as his predecessors. For most of the runtime, he plays rampaging blast beats, some of which are more elaborate than others. These are sometimes broken up by crushing slow beats and intricate mid-paced patterns. He also includes plenty of extravagant fills. Bassist Guillermo Garcia's performance gives the music an even greater sense of depth, and he can be heard most clearly during the slow sections. Frontman Jose Luis Rey Sanchez continues to perform a guttural alien growl. They're already perfect, so there's no need to improve them. Guitarists Miguel Ángel Ontivero Frutos and Daniel Valcázar are the ones who truly make the music chaotic. They take the basic building blocks of their genre - chugging riffs, palm-muted riffs, tremolo riffs, chromatic riffs, pinch harmonics - and arrange them in bizarre and discordant ways. This has been the band's modus operandi since Planisphaerium and it remains the case here. To make things even more interesting, they also play dissonant chords that make the listener feel like they're floating through a dimension that defies all logic and reason. With the release of Omegon, Wormed reassert their status as one of the most unique and technical bands in the brutal death metal scene. Some might say their music is nonsensical and incoherent, but I enjoy it. It's basically what brutal death metal would be like if it was made by extraterrestrials. Malodorous - The Carrion Recoil Malodorous was founded by Chase Martin and Mike O'Hara in 2007. Later that year, they released their full-length debut Amaranthine Redolence. It featured some pretty nice slam. Work on the next album proved to be very slow. Members came and went, but the situation stabilized in 2021. They put out a slew of singles before finally releasing The Carrion Recoil in August of this year. I love how the cover art references the aliens on the front of the band's first album. The drums are programmed and their mechanical nature is obvious. That will turn off some people, but I don't mind them. At least they sound better than Mortician's drum machine. Half the time they play rapid fire blast beats, and they spend the other half playing simple slam beats. All of these different patterns are played very well, and the clicking sound of the double bass grew on me. Suntorn member Sam Lathrem plays the bass. His performance is heavy and grotesque. The best display of his skills can be found on tracks like "Gestation of Iniquity." Chase Martin's guttural growls have gotten better over the years. They sound a lot more forceful and gruesome. This album also features guest vocals by Devin Swank of Sanguisugabogg, Angel Ochoa of Cephalotripsy, Conner Brace of Suntorn, Kane Gelaznik of Vomit Forth, and Arseny Kovalchuk and Vladislav Martirosov of Extermination Dismemberment. Purulence frontman Dan Sykes offers up a diverse and brutal guitar performance. One minute he plays stomping slam riffs, the next he plays sinister tremolo riffs. Their composition is excellent and somewhat catchy at times, like on "Conglomeration of Souls." He even throws in a few bits of technical flair. To tell you the truth, I've known about Malodorous for many years, mainly because of the cover art of their first full-length, but I never got around to listening to them because for the longest time I dismissed slam as braindead and without substance. I eventually realized I was wrong. These guys prove that slam can be quite engaging, and this album is their best work so far. Submerged - Tortured at the Depths Here's some brutal death metal made by zoomers. Submerged is less than two years old and they already put out a full-length. It's called Tortured at the Depths and it was distributed by New Standard Elite, one of the most prominent purveyors of brutality in the metal scene today. They have found gold once again. Production was handled by Dan Osborn. He made everything sound dark and menacing, as if it were recorded in some forsaken corner of the ocean floor. One peculiar quality is the snare drum, which sounds like a rusted cooking pot. Some people might find it annoying, but I found it tolerable. Since I'm already on the subject, the drums are manned by Andy Vincenzetti. He provides an almost constant supply of blast beats which are occasionally broken up by mid-paced rhythms that feature rapid clicking double bass. These patterns are then punctuated by fills. Andy handily proves himself to be a highly skilled drummer. He has impressive endurance and his patterns are pulverizing. Vocalist Erick Rincon delivers a deep and guttural porcine growl. They perfectly match the brutality of the rest of the music. Guitar work is handled by Sam Little. The palm-muted riffs, chromatic riffs, and pinch harmonics he plays during the fast-paced sections induce feelings of panic and dread, as if one is being pursued by vicious aquatic creatures. He also plays some sinister chugging riffs during the slower parts. Despite the songs being quite short, his performance offers up a great deal of variety, thus making him quite unpredictable. Submerged is a very talented band. They back up their brilliant Brodequin-style brutality with even more impressive songwriting that makes every track engaging. It's good to know that young people are keeping the metal spirit alive like this.