Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Scruda--Extreme Speed Violence cassette{Godz Ov War Prod.}

 


Scruda are a trio  coming out of Poland's  old school black thrashing speed metal scene.Extreme Speed Violence is the new EP featuring six tracks that are short and straight to the point.The  guitars are played with aggressive patterns and a whirlwind.The guitarist does write some extremly fast passages but also adds some well performed solo's throughout the music.The drums are extremely fast paced and chaotic.The vocals are a mix of death metal growls,thrashy screams both vocal styles fit the music perfectly.If you are into old school black thrash and speed metal insanity then do not miss out on  Extreme Speed Violence.
Scruda                                                                                                                                                             https://scruda.bandcamp.com/                                                                                                                       https://www.facebook.com/scrudabarbarians#                                                                                             https://www.instagram.com/scrudabarbarians/                                                                                             Godz Ov War Prod. 
https://godzovwar.com/                                                        https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/                                                                                            https://www.facebook.com/godzovwarproductions                                                                                      
https://www.instagram.com/godz_ov_war_productions/                                                                                https://www.youtube.com/rosenstahl3x6                                                                                                      

Buddah-Amyotrophy cd&digital(Godz Ov War Prod.}


 Amyotrophy is the debut full length from Poland's death metal band Buddah. The debut consists of nine tracks of well executed and performed death metal.Musically it has a nice mix of fast paced and some  c mid paced passages for a nice mix.The vocals are death metal growls and some raw gruff screams are used in a few of the songs.Pretty good death metal for a debut defintly  worth a listen!!                          Buddah                                                                                                                                                           https://www.facebook.com/Buddahband/                                                                                                     https://www.instagram.com/cvlt_ov_buddah/                                                                                               https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRlMwm7G41eRIdkpAH_BOsw                                                      Godz Ov War Prod.                                                                                                                                      https://godzovwar.com/                                                                                                                                https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/                                                                                            https://www.facebook.com/godzovwarproductions                                                                                     https://www.instagram.com/godz_ov_war_productions/                                                                              https://www.youtube.com/rosenstahl3x6                                                                                                     




Monday, January 5, 2026

Warlocks of Morgul--Empire of Puritanical Sorrow (Digital) {Independent}


Alberta, Canada brings us this gem of a black metal record, the band's first full length. It's vicious, fast, melodic-when-it-wants-to-be black metal in the Nordic style. It's highly technically proficient, all instruments being played at peak ability. Some of the riffs and drum patterns boggle the mind. While the musicianship is stellar, the songs are never sacrificed because of it. It's simply added value. The vocals remind me of Satyricon, growled through clenched teeth. The guitars are like a winter blizzard with swirling winds and drifting snow. We're given bits of melodic atmosphere every so often to give our brains a break and it's a welcome respite - this is challenging music. This is a masterful performance by a musician that has found his voice and is creating wickedly sharp songs from wonderfully jagged riffs.




Dungeon Keeper--Dungeon Metal Masters (CS) {Breaking the Chains}


This German band follows up last year's full length with this new EP. This is real black metal with punked-up beats and a just-raw-enough production that lets all the instruments shine without being slick. There's a heavy Hellhammer influence at work here, from the riffs to the vocals and even the vocal patterns. In fact, this is a rather pure mix of the old Norwegian style and Hellhammer, giving us nothing but proper black fuckin' metal. There are a few hints of old Sodom, too. Everything about this band oozes black metal, even their image. The singer manages to sound pissed off and aggressive the entire time, and it's wonderful. This is very much worth the price of admission, and I recommend it highly. 




Cemetery Moon--Dominion of Ashes (Digital) {Independent}


Ah, the USA to the rescue. After some melancholic and weird records, along with a bunch of shitty forest-worshipping bullshit, I finally stumbled on this album and it's very welcome. Hailing from Connecticut, this is Cemetery Moon's second full length, and it's a great one. This is melodic black metal with an emphasis on metal, with plenty of blasts and aggressive playing, but with constant melodic riffing over the brutality. The drummer, when using blasts, is swift and tight, reminding me a bit of the drummer from Thornspawn for some reason, but with a more varied attack. The singer has a full-throated rasp and rolls overtop the music with perfect diction and a powerful performance. This sounds like proper American black metal, in an intangible way, and isn't trying to be anything but that. It's just good, solid black metal, and it's worth tracking down. A bigger label needs to snatch this up and put this record out properly.




Ergot--Decade (CD/LP) {ATMF}


This second full length from Ergot comes a full ten years after their last effort. It's slower, melodic black metal with soaring melodies and epic structures. The songs are longer, clocking in at five minutes or more with the exception of an interlude. The lyrics appear to be in all Italian as far as I can tell, and I can't offer any information as to what some of the songs are about, but it sounds cool as fuck. The guitar solos weep over top the main riffs in every song, bringing a morose feel. It's not depressive by any means, but it's full of emotion. This is also creepy in ways only black metal can manage with haunting chords and disdainful melody. However, it all sort of blends together for me after a while with no real speed to add intensity, but I'll put that down to my preferences in black metal. It's not a problem if you're looking for this style, I'm just not.

Saturnebula--Cryptic Saturnalia (Digital) {Independent}


This is the first EP from this German band. It's strong black metal with a muddied just-raw-enough production. Strands of melody stand out in their songs, here and there, that made me sit up and listen, creating pockets of real originality. The vocals are rhythmic and have captivating patterns in every song. They use a lot of rhyming lyrics, which is both old-fashioned and interesting. Bulldozing riffage starts the song "Cold Heart Cult," the best song title on the record, and continues all the way through the song until it's time to slow it down with a slightly more melodic riff and some clean vocals. This band shows promise and I want to hear more from them for sure.

Hellbutcher--Alcoholic Ritual Hell (CD) {Rotten Leather Productions}


This is not the famous Hellbutcher from Sweden, but instead a band from Ecuador that predates the larger act. This is their second full length, following up their last record from 2008. We get fairly talented black speed metal with some truly tasty riffs, and they ride them for all they can get out of them in each song, with lots of repetition like much of black metal has. This is not anything new, but what they're doing is higher quality than a lot of bands trying their hand at black thrash. They're tight, not overcomplicated, and can write a great song. The singer's heavy Spanish accent makes the music that much better, giving it an interesting feel. As for standouts, "Lucifer" begins with some truly black riffing that sets to the tone for the song, being bombastic and epic in feel. "Maniak" is probably my favorite track here with its 80s speed metal motifs. It's an album worth tracking down, and I highly recommend it.

Sunday, January 4, 2026

Occultor--The Eucharist (Digital) {Independent}


This is the first full length from this Romanian war metal outfit. This is black/death in the vein of Archgoat, Blasphemy, and Beherit but with a penchant for slower riffs and plodding rhythms. In places, the vocals are far too high in the mix and drown everything else out, and it's extremely hard to overlook since it's shockingly loud. I do like the pitch-shifted vocals that make the singer sound like a goddamn demon. There's an element of intensity missing here that all those other bands have, which makes this pretty mediocre stuff overall. It does succeed in creating dark atmosphere and there are a few good tracks here, just not enough to make me listen repeatedly. It's a crowded genre that's hard to do right, and there's nothing here suggesting anything spectacular.


VoidHammer--Noxious Emissions cassette{Caligari Rec.}

 


VoidHammer are a trio coming out of Los Angeles and this is a review of their debut demo that will be released through Caligari Rec...Noxious Emissions  contains  four tracks of heavy and putrid death metal that is well played.The guitars are a mix of mid paced guitars that are heavy and crushing in the delievery.Their are some faster guitar passages that are done with some extremly well executed patterns and solo's are added into a few tracks.The drumming is done in the same vein with some mid paced crushing drums that are heavy and pounding.The drummer does speed to a faster more chaotic drum pace throughout a few tracks.The vocals are low that are done with some powerful death metal growls.  
Caligari Rec