In an abyss where Black, Death and Doom Metal converge in dissonant, warped and terrifying territories a new split spawns. Out now via Lupus Lounge is this new offering from TCHORNOBOG and ABYSSAL. Tchornobog‘s side opens with estranged sounds that certainly convey discomfort before a malicious array of off-kilter drums and twitching guitars erupt into a dissonant display of psychedelia. The vocals fit the chasmic production with a snarling groan to them while the utterly dense walls of explorative and ferocious instrumentation paint an anguishing canvas of oddities. It is worth noting that wi ..read more

Ceremonial Death Metallers JADE offer up their debut full length album, four years after a single demo. Out via Pulverised Records on November 25th. As an aside, this is also my 1000th post on this website! Dragging itself into life with a drudging heaviness that welcomes us in without need for meandering intros, Jade deliver beautifully intense riffing with a majestic quality. Equally foreboding is the vocal delivery which is quite reminiscent of Okoi from Bølzer, which definitely lends a haunting quality to the monstrous drumming and darkened guitar riffs. Blasting energy and doomy moments i ..read more

Would it be Halloween without a new ACID WITCH record? Probably, but one will make it even cooler! Out on, you guessed it, October 31st via Hells Headbangers Records. Spooky synths naturally kick off the classic horror vibes with the eerie incantations that add demonic forces to the ambience. The usually grooving riffs and pumping drums are slicing through the mix with evil vocals to create that formidable sound and with some soaring leads, the overall feeling of their return is one of triumph. Acid Witch have always been good at making something catchy, which in Death-Doom can be a bit tricky ..read more

MORTUOUS are back with their 2nd album of rotten old school Death Metal worship. Out on September 16th via Carbonized Records and Extremely Rotten Productions. Blasting into life with a barrage of belching riffs and blast-beats, the fetid odour of old school Death Metal is reeking in the air. The malignant musicianship is lurking in the low end while foul vocals emanate through the mix which moves quickly into the depraved depths of Death Metal, with extremely murky mastering that lends to the filthy sound of the album. Mid-tempo grooves come in with those New York / New Jersey style stomps wh ..read more

Canadian Death-Doom Metal masters SEDIMENTUM finally unveil their debut album after some of the best demos the underground has seen in recent years. Set for co-release on July 25th via Me Saco Un Ojo Records and Memento Mori Records. Wasting no time on a tepid introduction, the cacophonous spew of vitriolic Death Metal erupts with blast beats, gutturally puking vocals and monolithic riffs that deliver a raw and crushing array of putrescent sounds instantly. The way in which Sedimentum dive headlong into their own record is a testimony to a band who are too eager to play rotten Death Metal to w ..read more

A double dose of underground British Heavy Metal. Though back in March, this was a superb gig and I wanted to talk about it! First up, Parish open the night with some excellent Black Sabbath worshipping doomy goodness. Absolutely nailing the 70s Heavy Metal origins, this 3-piece had a strong, crunchy and otherworldly feel to their entire set which was draped in occult gloom and mystery. A veritable feast of chilling vocals, spectral riffing and hard-hitting drums to invoke that tribal feeling that causes the head to bang. Iommi and co would be proud! London NWOBHM-revivalists Amulet roar into ..read more

Italian Black-Death / Doom Metal cult MORTUARY DRAPE recently unveiled a new EP via the legendary Peaceville Records. This band should require no introduction, so let’s indulge in the horror! Gloomy guitars draw the creepy atmospherics into a blackened light with a simple but haunting riff. Monolithic bass lines crush alongside pummelled drums to give that churning low end that the band has always used to grand effect while the guitar and vocals crawl in the sonic spaces to spew a darkened and loathing energy forth. The mystical and doomy music has a massive sound that is writing with occult a ..read more

Finland’s epic traditional Heavy Metallers IRON GRIFFIN are back with a new, totally DIY 2nd album. Hopefully their lone venture proves as high in quality as the album and EP that preceded it. Tranquil synths start the album out with a fantasy sort of soundtrack that gives the impression of an epic adventure ahead. Crunchy guitars add further melancholy and folkiness to the overall doomy, bardic and medieval feeling of the music which is met by ethereal vocals before massive walls of riffs and crashing drums fire into life. There is a certain rawness which leaves the music free of damning comp ..read more

2 titans of Death-Doom Metal join forces here to conjure a short but merciless tome of decay. Out via Everlasting Spew Records on February 25th. Ritual Necromancy begin the horrors with a 15 minute piece, opening with an instantly desolate plain of grim, sombre riffing atop chasm-dwelling drums to give us a sparse and unwelcoming start. There is a grisly churning rhythm spiced with dissonant flares to unhinged things before descending into a charnel crawl of doomy and eerie atmospherics. Though slow, there is something inherently creepy and yet ultimately visceral about Ritual Necromancy that ..read more

Death-Doom titans DRUID LORD are back with their new full length album, set for release via Hells Headbangers on January 21st. As a big fan of their previous “Grotesque Offerings” (read my review here), I hope it lives up to the high standard they set… Beginning with classic horror soundscapes that signal the zombification ahead but without wasting much time, the scene is set for the bludgeoning riffs, drums and shreds that launch us into a cascade of morbid Metal mayhem. The eeriness of the leads with the ferocious rhythm section soon morphs into stomping rhythmic Death Metal that could easil ..read more