Face of Oblivion- Cataclysmic Desolation (Album Review)

Musician: Face of Oblivion
Album Title: Cataclysmic Desolation
Genre/ Subgenre: Technical Death Metal
Label: Comatose Music
Release Date: Nov. 11, 2016

This is the second release from Minnesota technical death metal monster, Face of Oblivion. And, it is a crushing and brutal at that. It unleashes its assault from the very first second and does not let up till the very last second. 

The band is now fronted by Incinerate vocalist Jesse Watson. He presides over fast, merciless, and brutal music. The sound is complex, technically amazing, and filled with tempo shifts. Every instrument is played at a fever pitch and the sounds are filled with anger and viciousness. While, most of the songs are under three minutes long, they pack a lot in that short time period giving them a more epic feel than they are.

The album opens with one of its' best tracks in the crushing "Embracing the Damnation". The machine gun like attack of the title track decimates everything in its path. The drumming, by Eric "Ogar" Baumgard, on "Futility" is a fucking monster, an unrelenting, devastating monster, thjat is. "Walls of Flesh" not only sounds like a classic death metal track, but it kills as it alternates between speed and blast beats and little bits of outright crunching. 

Speaking of classic death metal, you gotta love the cover. Fast, brutal, and seemingly angry as fuck, Cataclysmic Desolation is highly recommended. In short, Face of Oblivion have put out an album that is sure to please fans of savage technical death metal. 
 

3.5 out of 5

In Death...- The Devil Speaks (Album Review)

Musician: In Death...
Album Title: The Devil Speaks
Genre/ Subgenre: Technical Death Metal
Label: Self Released
Release Date: TBA

Holy. Fucking. Shit!!! That is what I said the moment that I heard this upcoming indie debut from Australian death metal act In Death... Mostly because it is so fucking badass and awesome, that just listening to the first couple of minutes of the album made me love it!

The band have a truly technically strong quality to them that really shows off their awesome musicianship. What really drives the songs forward, though, is the fucking killer groove. It hooks you in and then just fucking crushes you. Some of the more close-minded metal fans might decry something about it being to close to deathcore. Fuck that. Mixing it with their tech-death style gives it a heavy as fuck and refreshing, different feel from so many other bands that tend to do a more straight forward style of one or another.

I love every track on here, as they are all solid bits of destruction. Like I said earlier, from the get go this album drew me and that's cause it started out with the crunching and groovetastic (is that even a word? Fuck it. It is now!) opening to the searing "Malignancy Eradicated". The speedy "Bow to Your Master" will utterly pummel you. "Every Burial" is so fucking badass that might be my favorite track here and that's saying something. I mean come on, they have an awesome song called "Godzilla"! How can this horror and monster loving dude not love that? Speaking of horror the kick ass instrumental and title track, "The Devil Speaks" (which really shows off their talented chops) has a sound-bite from Al Pacino from The Devil's Advocate playing over it. By the time the final song, "King of the Deadpool" kicks in, your neck will have snapped from headbanging so hard!

I simply can't say enough good things about In Death... The Devil Speaks. These guys have impressed the fucking hell out of me, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for them! For now, pay close attention to them and be sure to pick up this highly recommended album when it comes out. And, be sure to follow them on their Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/indeath) to be up to date on that and more!
  

4.5 out of 5