Aborted Fetus- The Art of Violent Torture (Album Review)

Musicians: Aborted Fetusan
Album Title: The Art of Violent Torture
Genre/ Subgenre: Brutal Death Metal
Label: Comatose Music
Release date: April 28, 2017

The Russian death metal monster known as Aborted Fetus is a brutal and gore drenched delight. Their upcoming release The Art of Violent Torture is filled with pummeling and crunching brutality that is backed by unrelenting bursts of blast beats by drummer Hammer and undecipherable guttural vocals by frontman Alexander "Meatgrinder" Andreev.What he have here is pure and unquestionably brutality.

The aural assault from the album is fast and pulverizing with moments of crunching that slows it down. What is consist is the interest in brutalizing the listener with a consistent sonic barrage and the utter heaviness of it all.

The album opens with the instrumental ''The Art of Pain'', which serves as the perfect set-up for the savage and pounding ''Boiled Alive''. The sound of ''Blinded by the Flame'' feels like lightning fast cuts made by a blade as it eviscerates flesh and destroys its victim. ''Axe Decapitation'' has face smashing veracity. Perhaps my favorite track on the album is ''Buried Alive''. It has this beautiful and haunting intro that returns every so often and plays in marvelous counterpart to the unrelenting music. Speaking of which, there are moments of peaceful and almost beautiful sounds in instrumentals like "Awaiting" which serve as a calm break between it all. Only to then, have the next track punch you multiple time right in your fucking face.

There is a shit load of talent and unquestionable brutality in Aborted Fetus. As such, The Art of Violent Torture, with its gore obsessed lyrics and low growling vocals, is a great choice for Cannibal Corpse fans who love complete and utter brutality. Not for the weak-hearted, this one puts the extreme in extreme metal.

3.5 out of 5

Dead Conspiracy- Dead Conspiracy (Album Review)

Musician: Dead Conspiracy 
Album Title: Dead Conspiracy
Genre/ Subgenre: Death metal/ Thrash
Label: Self-released 
Release Date: Nov. 15, 2016

Dead Conspiracy is Portland's first ever death metal band. This self titled album is their first full length release. It features chainsaw guitars and blindly fast sounds that dominate this awesome slice of old-school death metal with thrash elements. 

The band excel at fast as fuck music. And, this evident from the very first track, the blistering "Blood Is Everywhere". Vocally there is an almost hardcore/ thrash crossover style married with cookie monster vocals for a particularly vicious delivery that is accompanied by chainsaw guitar riffs that would make Leatherface proud. The saw like shredding guitar is even more prominent in the next track: "In the Wake of the Butcher". Here the vocals sound particularly brutal and angry. A haunting and beautiful intro builds and builds into utter pummeling brutality for "Anthietam- Vulture Feeding". The clear vocals allow this tale of of ancient and bloody battle a more fun and catchy feel to it. The super fast "Paralyzed with Fear" closes off the album quite supremely well.

The band has a clear love for old school death metal. Their fondness for gore and death filled lyrics is happily representative of this. I mean just read the titles I mentioned before if you are need proof of this! Fans of bands like Death, Massacre, and Gruesome should take special note. But, I also like the thrash metal tendencies that lurk in their music too, as the influence of German thrashers like Kreator and Sodom are also present.

Old school, fast, and heavy this self titled album from Dead Conspiracy is truly kick ass! Rounded off by solid musician and a fun and changing vocal style it further satisfies. If your looking for gore and violence filled death metal to fill that 90s void, this is the band for you!

3.5 out of 5

The album is available here: www.deadconspiracy.bandcamp.com/album/dead-conspiracy-dead-conspiracy-lp-2016

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

Heaven Shall Burn- Wanderer (Album Review)

Musician: Heaven Shall Burn
Album Title: Wanderer
Genre/ Subgenre: Melodic death metal/ Metalcore
Label: Century Media
Release Date: Sept. 16, 2016

The eighth studio album from extreme metallars Heaven Shall Burn, Wanderer, is a groove laden juggernaut sure to get the pit wild with fury. From the opening to the end this hook laden, catchy, yet heavy and badass release is a complete pleasure to hear.

The album opens with the rolling attack of "The Loss of Fury". From there we go to the thundering "Bring the War Home" which brings the ass kicking home. The blistering "They Shall not Pass" has a Slayer meets groove based heaviness and melody that really makes it stand out. With a furious machine gun opening "Prey to God" is filled with venom and anger and is one of the album's very best track, if not in fact, its best. "Agent Orange" is the type of furious assault that will make you wanna mosh even if it's just you chilling in your room. "Save Me" has a beautiful intro that leads into an emotional, dark, and still heavy song. In fact, every song here is a winner with no throwaway tracks.

Sure, Wanderer doesn't break any new ground. But, it doesn't have to. This is quality and adrenaline filled piss and vinegar metal with a few moments of beauty and melody. It's an album that prove that Heaven Shall Burn still burn and destroy everything in their path.

4 out of 5