The Chasm - Farseeing The Paranormal Abysm

'Farseeing The Paranormal Abysm' may be a mouthful but thankfully their music gets straight to the point. The guitar work doesn't feel the need to forsake technicality to maintain a raw feel, instead their clean-cutting leads slice and dice while the demonic basslines maintain an oppressively malevolent vibe to the music. The drums are top notch for their field, while you may not be wowed by his inventiveness you'll still probably fawn over his tight attack and precision. While The Chasm has an occult sound, their dark vibes come from the songwriting and riffs rather than recording through a shitty microphone and letting the lo-fi aspect of the music take precedent over actual musicianship. This is a truly well-put together release. With great pacing and strangely relieving segues you'll find yourself putting this on a lot.

GOAT

Ulcerate - The Destroyers of All

It's rare that innovation emerges from the cesspool of technical death metal, a genre with limitless potential that has lost itself in the technicality of the work instead of the dizzying fretwork that brought the forerunners of the genre to the forefront of music. Like wizards lost to the power of massively unstable spells, most cripple themselves in the wings before they even begin to fly. Ulcerate shoves any idea of technical death that you might've known so far down your fat little throat that you'll be shitting the rings on their many-fingered fist for weeks to come. Simultaneously atmospheric and rich in interesting songwriting, this record comes to life through the many multi-faceted parts that work together in some sick sonic-symbiotic relationship. The riffs drift from eerily dissonant to heavy and sluggishly savage. The drums are spot on, tight and most of all they AREN'T a blasturbation ritual.

BRAIN FUCK

For Fans Of: Gigan, Portal, Origin, Gorguts, Deathspell Omega

Wretched - Beyond The Gate

Wretched's brand of death-stained melodics are something that comes almost like a breath of fresh air from the younger generation of musicians. Before I get on my soapbox I would just like to point out how nice the leads on this album sounds; their crisps, clean tone flow nicely throughout the album while the drums and bass pound away some pretty interesting rhythms in the back. The opener on this album starts out fast, dropping you pretty much in medias res with riffs slicing at your throat as soon as she kicks off. The album has a nice runtime at just over 40 minutes, it only slows down to set the stage for the larger tracks. The interludes on here are also pretty nice, lots of good ideas that seem to end before they're complete but whether or not this is a good or bad thing (intentional or not), it definitely adds a lot to this album and makes it stand out. So if you're looking for a magic combination of Decrepit Birth's 'Polarity' and The Black Dahlia Murder's 'Nocturnal' well...then this might get you gubbins moist.

STEAL

Mandatory - Adrift Beyond

Do you ever wish that someone would come along and mix the technical prowess and strained growls of the mighty Pestilence with the heavy-guitar swinging ballsiness of Morbid Angel and Infester while still adding their own juice to the brew? Well you've got your wish. This record is an all out onslaught on the senses. With an unforgiving low-end, this album not only has some of the best Death Metal production I've ever heard it avoids the classic pitfall of sounding too 'flat', 'small' and 'thin'. This record carries with it a gargantuan hammer-like atmosphere. If you fancy yourself someone who enjoys both newer and older Death Metal, you need to get this. 2010's metal list just got a little longer and it has made room at the top for these hierophants of heaviness.


STEAL

Cephalic Carnage - Misled By Certainty

Cephalic Carnage's new release is possibly their most impressive. Combining the gargantuan Death Metal riffage of Immolation with the jazzcentric Math/Grind they're known for with the odd Doom/Sludge bit here and there; this band has created an unstoppable facecrusher that will zap your brain and smoke your bones. Pure fucking Sci-Fi evil.



STEAL

Dyroxium - Irrational Landscapes

A band that my old band (Sturgeon) used to jam with. Akin to the heavier side of Opeth with bits of Black Metal and Enslaved here and there. For a (rough) album it's pretty fucking good. Had the pleasure of seeing/playing with these dudes live and they're nothing short of awesome. Surprisingly proffessional and tight for a band their age. This is Detroit Death Metal at its finest. This band shall not be forgotten (as I've taken all the old stickers of theirs I gathered and stuck them to every lamp post across the county).

OBTAIN THROUGH LEGAL MEANS

Cattle Decapitation - The Harvest Floor

Day 1 of my Animal Rights/Environmentalist Music Week

>Progressive Deathgrind

STEAL