siLLy puPPy After a lengthy hiatus that found a whopping elapse of 13 years since its last full length album, the mighty MITOCHRONDRION has resurrected itself from a self-imposed slumber and slithered out of its hibernation chambers to unleash the third installment of its brutal bantering discography. While the band dropped an EP in 2013 and a split in 2016 showing continued signs of life, unexpectedly and turbulently this Victoria, BC based band has unleashed a massive sprawling double disc release in 2024 in the form of VITRISEPTOME. Delivering another esoteric and mysterious album title, this word like its predecessors “Archaeaeon” and “Parasignosis” has emerged like a linguistic Frankenstein of the band’s own making. Breaking down into the logical components, VITRI- possibly refers to the legit “vitic” which means relating to, resembling or having the nature of glass. SEPT most likely signifies the number seven whereas the TOME part could possibly refer to a book or set of books of several volumes featured in a scholarly fashion. So logically perhaps a “Seven Volume Tome In Glass?”

Whatever the fuck it means, VITRISEPTOME is a behemoth of a musical monstrosity that features 17 ear shattering tracks that sprawl on to a whopping one hour and 25 minutes! That’s a tall order for a band that consistently delivers some of the most frightening and energetic displays of technical disso-death metal in the modern realms of the ever-expanding universe of extreme metal’s most popular nook. So what’s new with MITOCHONDRION you ask? Well, dare i say melody? This band’s past is one of murky nebulous swells of sound that conjure up demonic forces that deliver astral terror. In many ways the band returns with a sound that’s business as usual with the expected rampaging guitar riffs distorted to kingdom come accompanied by blitzkrieg percussion gymnastics in a crushing cacophony that blurs the distinction between black metal, death metal and the avant-garde. Also once again MITOCHONDRION delivers hefty doses of preternatural aural assaults bedecked with ample touches of Lovecraftian surrealism.

VITRISEPTOME may resemble its heritage in the aforementioned carry over elements that make MITOCHONDRION sound like no other however beneath the dissonant display of bantering freneticism, this album is quite different in many ways with the most prominent feature being that of a more melodic approach that is implemented by the higher register guitar licks that accompany the brutal bombast of the rampaging riffing. Also notable is the more cavernous texture of the production and mixing which offers a more Portal-like effect that offers moments of pure blackened noise as heard on the combo back of “[ ]” and the title track which sound like an avalanche of amplifiers generating a feedback explosion. While the previous albums offered a more surreal blurry bleeding over of the instrumentation, VITRISEPTOME on the other hand delivers a more distinguished separation of guitars, bass and other elements such as the various tonal textures offered by such unorthodoxies as the timpani, flute, bone horn and singing bowl. As far as the guitars are concerned there is more of an old school Morbid Angel feel on many track with that classic guitar squealing effect emerging from the din. But don’t let these small details fool you. This is MITOCHONDRION raging on in fine form!

Despite the hour and a half playing time i found myself able to take in the entire shebang in one sitting and that’s saying something these days when i find many albums are tediously too long for their own good. Something about MITOCHONDRION’s multi-faceted delivery system that keeps things sounding uniform in style yet diverse in how the details define the sum of the parts. It’s a demanding listening experience but unlike previous efforts that only offered the gloomiest and doomiest musical excursions to be had, VITRISEPTOME feels like it adds a ray of light to the chaotic disso-death battlefield of instrumentation with digestible chunks of melodic victory prognosticating a triumphant outcome despite a bleak and seemingly hopeless outcome. Once again MITOCHONDRION successfully conveys a strange metaphysical scenario that while nebulous in nature offers a wild emotional ride through the incessant swarm of sonic entropy. Personally i still prefer the band’s first two albums as this one is less consistent in its overall effect despite in many ways pretty much following in the footsteps of the previous albums. I’m a bit underwhelmed that the band didn’t deliver 13 years of innovation however despite those nitpicky quibbles i have to say that VITRISEPTOME is still a freakin’ awesome display of 21st century techy blackened disso-death. For me just a smidge inferior to the band’s past but this very well could grow on me over time indeed.

UMUR "Absolute Elsewhere" is the third full-length studio album by US, Colorado based death metal act Blood Incantation. The album was released through Century Media Records in October 2024. It´s the successor to "Hidden History of the Human Race" from 2021, although the two full-length studio albums are bridged by the 2022 "Timewave Zero" EP. Three of the four members of the band have also been busy recording the second Spectral Voice album titled "Sparagmos", which was released in February 2024. Blood Incantation and Spectral Voice share all members except for the drummers of the two bands, who exclusively play in one of the groups.

While Blood Incantation have been brewing music since 2011 and have been relatively active since their formation, it wasn´t until the release of "Hidden History of the Human Race" that they had their underground breakthrough. Almost universally lauded for it´s intricate, progressive, and abstract death metal sound, "Hidden History of the Human Race" certainly made sure that Blood Incantation were placed firmly on the death metal map. It´s an interesting death metal release, because for all its sophistication, technical playing, and complex song structures, it´s still inherently an old school death metal release, featuring a gloomy and filthy brutality.

While a large part of the playing time of "Hidden History of the Human Race" was made up of the 18:05 minutes long "Awakening from the Dream of Existence to the Multidimensional Nature of Our Reality (Mirror of the Soul)", writing such a massive progressive death metal track obviously haven´t satisfied Blood Incantation´s cravings for abstract and complex death metal constructions, as "Absolute Elsewhere" contains only two 20 minutes plus tracks titled "The Stargate" (20:20 minutes long) and "The Message" (23:23 minutes long). Both tracks are subdivided into three shorter tracks, but you still get the experience of listening to two long tracks, as the sub-tracks seque into each other.

Stylistically Blood Incantation take their music to a new level. While still featuring loads of old school technical death metal parts, the album features just as many 70s influenced tripped-out space rock parts (Artists like Tangerine Dream, Eloy, and Pink Floyd haven´t lived in vain), which have nothing to do with death metal. So how does two such different music styles co-exist? It should be impossible, but it actually works incredibly well. Blood Incantation ensure that there is a good balance between death metal brutality, technical playing, progressive song structures, and the 70s progressive/space rock influences. "Absolute Elsewhere" is epic, melodic, and atmospheric, but also brutal, dissonant, and raw. Gloomy atmospheres are followed by epic melodic moments, and laid-back psychedelic journeys into space.

The growling vocals are cavernous, but higher in the mix than on the previous releases from Blood Incantation, which is a plus in my book. "The Message [Tablet II]" features a strongly Pink Floyed influenced section with clean singing in the Gilmour vein, and although they are relatively sparse and subtle, they provide a great contrast to the brutal growling vocals, which dominate "Absolute Elsewhere". The instrumental part of the album is well performed too, and the band are arguably a talented unit. It´s the multifaceted songwriting and unconventional progressive ideas which make "Absolute Elsewhere" such an interesting release though. These days you kind of expect that bands can handle their instruments, but it´s never a given that they can write intriguing music. Blood Incantation master both disciplines with ease. Featuring an organic, powerful, and detailed sound production "Absolute Elsewhere" is a high level release on all parameters and a 4.5 star (900%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Manual Manic Procedures" is the second full-length studio album by US, Ohio based death metal act 200 Stab Wounds. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in June 2024. It´s the successor to Slave To The Scalpel from 2021, although 200 Stab Wounds did release the 2023 "Masters of Morbidity" stop-gap single (featuring two non-album tracks). There has been one lineup change since the debut album as guitarist Lance Buckley has been replaced by Raymond Macdonald.

Stylistically 200 Stab Wounds haven´t changed much since the last album, still playing an old school but still not too retro sounding type of death metal. Brutal and varied grooves, both death metal and thrash metal influenced riffs, and some brutal growling vocals in front. "Manual Manic Procedures" features a fat, heavy, and brutal sounding production job which along with the (for the style) relatively varied songwriting are the greatest assets of the album. The band are well playing too.

Upon conclusion "Manual Manic Procedures" is another good quality death metal release from 200 Stab Wounds and the greater emphasis on brutal grooves and breaks is an interesting feature of the album, which provide the music with something a little more unique than what many other contemporary death metal artists put out. When that is said, "Manual Manic Procedures" still use trid and true musical elements...they are just combined in an effectful and rewarding way. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

siLLy puPPy Dissonant and psychedelic tech death metal is killin’ it in the 2020s with long established bands coming of age and blowing away the competition en masse. Long timers like Pyrrhon, Ulcerate and Mitochondrion are continuing to up their game with each subsequent release and newer bands like Blood Incantation are perfecting all these elements with amazing precision. You can add the Tampa based GIGAN to that list which started as far back as 2006 and has continued to pummel the world of extreme metal ever since. Having taken a whopping seven year hiatus this power trio has returned with founder Eric Hersemann (bass, guitar, synthesizer, theremin) along with decade long drummer Nate Cotton and growler-in-chief Jerry Kavouriaris who returns for his second album with the band. GIGAN is back with yet another multisyllabic album, ANOMALOUS ABSTRACTIGATE INFINITESSIMUS which melds the now established worlds of sci-fiction debauchery with the blitzkrieg wizardry of world class disso-death metal.

Named after the alien cyborg kaiju who first appeared in the 1972 film “Godzilla vs. Gigan,” this ultimate weapon of the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens which was deployed to Earth to aid the alien invader’s conquest of the planet proves to be the perfect namesake for this technically infused band that worships the alter of brutality and dissonance. While not the first extreme metal band to delve into the world of Lovecraftian horror fiction and strange diabolical fantasy, GIGAN has practically perfected its idiosyncratic style of surreal convoluted compositional constructs fortified by unrelenting tempos, bantering abrasiveness and strange twisted concepts. The album opens with the 8-minute “Trans-Dimensional Crossing of the Alta-Tenuis” which explodes like a bomb on Hiroshima with the turbulent drumming cacophony of Nathan Cotton who delvers some of the most demanding and demonic tech death performances in the biz. Oscillating waves of dissonant guitar riffing assail the senses as the band delivers a chaotic brutality that was woefully missing on the previous album (at least at this magnitude).

“Ultra-Violet Shimmer and Permeating Infra-sound” doesn’t let up with an even more brutal decibel rampage as the guitar riffing and bass bantering become every more chaotic with ever more complex percussive clamor and freaky slide guitar effects while Kavouriasis’ vocal style becomes insane asylum material. While taking the brutality to the next level the wild synthesized atmospheric note slides adds a touch of surreality to the whole shebang all graced by the off-kilter production techniques that take things even further into the abstract world of surreality and mind-fuckery. The most bizarre track of all comes with “Emerging Sects of Dagonic Acolytes,” a 10-minute excursion into the a bizarre tightrope act between extreme death metal acrobatics coupled with psychedelic rock techniques and free improvisation abstruseness. While starting off as a somewhat “normal” GIGAN track, things start to get weirder and weirder to the point where you feel like you’ve totally lost your sanity and all connection to reality as the band goes down one of its most surreal rabbit hole escapades to date.

And the Lovecraftian surrealism doesn’t stop there. Each track delivers another powerful punch of erratic techy death metal with freaky guitar solos and convoluted riffing patterns. “Erratic Pulsitivity and Horror” is like the closest thing to a musical seizure i’ve ever experienced while “The Strange Harvest of the Baganoids” offers some of the strangest twanging jangle guitar chops ever experienced and features a strange time signature dynamic that makes you feel like you’re traveling through a turbulent asteroid belt on the Millennium Falcon. As the album closes with “Ominous Silhouettes Cast Across Gulfs of Time,” the band engages in another lengthy near 8-minute battle of chaos and order only this time with a more doomy introduction with plodding guitar stomps and ominous distortion but then the track breaks into a bifurcated effect of rampaging death metal along with the plodding effects, yet another wild surreal display of creative craftiness or should i say Lovecraftiness.

Wow! Mind blown!!!! While i still loved GIGAN’s approach on the previous “Undulating Waves of Rainbiotic Iridescence,” it seemed like the band was toning down the intensity a bit from its previous “Multi-Dimensional Fractal Sorcery And Super Science” so in effect ANOMALOUS ABSTRACTIGATE INFINITESSIMUS was a make or break type of album for me although i could never totally write this top band in my collection. As it turns out this fifth installment of the GIGAN universe is its best effort yet and combines the perfect combo punch of brutal bombastic techy death metal drenched in dissonant disdain coupled with the heady mind-altering effects of psychedelia and surrealism. The band has outdone itself with this one with each track standing out as a testament to its creative prowess taken to the next level and beyond. Yeah, baby! This is what 21st century death metal is all about! Two listens in and i’m ready to push play again, something the last album didn’t quite coax me into doing. I’ve been a fan of this band for over a decade now and i’m utterly thrilled beyond measure that not only has the band returned to its avant-garde unorthodoxies from its beginnings but has delivered them all in such a brutal excellence that totally caught me off guard. I think this band has been raised a few notches on my favorite extreme metal band list.

siLLy puPPy Following the trajectory of the Finnish psychedelic black metal band ORANSSI PAZUZU is like experiencing an Earth based band fall into a wormhole and accidentally tagging along for the ride. While starting out as a somewhat recognizable black metal band all the way back in 2009 with its debut “Muukalainen Puhuu,” ORANSSI PAZUZU incrementally left the gravitational pull of our host planet and has taken a bonafide space journey into a world of its own making. This eclectic quintet has returned after a four year hiatus with its latest effort MUUNTAUTUJA which translates into something like “Transformative” or “Shapeshifter” which is exactly what this idiosyncratic and eccentric band has clearly become.

MUUNTAUTUJA marks another step beyond the once established parameters of black metal and takes the band into a bizarre web of neo-psychedelia that finds electronic influences taking a much larger role in crafting strange futuristic soundscapes that offer wild otherworldly spaced out effects. While the black metal hasn’t been totally usurped by gurgling synthesizers, trip hop based beats and ominous industrial sounds, any traces of Scandinavian kvlt majesty have been set way down in the mix as to leave only distorted guitar distortion rumblings and the band’s classic raspy vocal style as a beacon of light that points to its origins. Something like a modern day Ulver that never jettisoned the black metal furor, ORANSSI PAZUZU has reached the middle of its wormhole journey with one of its strangest albums yet.

One of the most inventive black metal bands to have emerged in the 21st century, ORANSSI PAZUZU set off like a voyage on the Star Trek Voyager and has crafted a truly unique sound that never remains stationary from album to album. While the earlier albums showcased a post-metal-like procession with cyclical riffs that slowly ratcheted up to crescendoing uproar, the band has always teased in psychedelic embellishments that have indubitably initiated a completely new genre called space metal. By the time the band got to “Mestarin Kynsi” it was apparent that these Finns were heading to the stars without looking back and boldly going where no black metal band has gone before. And the best thing of all is that these talented musicians actually created interesting song structures that made you want to tune in rather than send them off on their mission.

This band has always reveled in juxtaposing the most polarized opposite musical genres together and making strange bedfellows sound like a predestined fit. MUUNTAUTUJA only ups the ante as it takes you on a transcendental musical excursion into an alternate universe where Blut Aus Nord and Portishead commingle in darkened corners with Death Grips and Philip Glass with a touch of Massive Attack, Ministry and Mad Capsule Markets. From the very first oscillating tones of “Bioalkemisti” it’s clear that MUUNTAUTUJA is a completely different beast than what came before and another incremental leap down the avant-garde rabbit hole with surreal musical motifs that shapeshift from one track to the next that sample from a cauldron where the disparate worlds of progressive rock, black metal, trip hop, 20th century classical and industrial rock have been simmering in an undisclosed locus in the midst of the vast Finnish forests.

Along with Dodheimsgard, Ulver, Ved Buens Ende and Ram-Zet, ORANSSI PAZUZU has become one of Scandinavia’s most forward thinking bands and with the closing “Vierivä usva” totally drifting off into space and leaving the metal mojo behind one can’t help but wonder if this band is going to pull an Ulver on us and completely jump into the world of avant-garde electronica. Wherever this inventive band leads many of us avant-metal nerds will surely follow as it is virtually guaranteed that this band will take you somewhere you never knew existed. While i personally found the previous album to be more of my liking, this one is definitely a wild ride into the world of cosmos metal that will leave you gasping for air as you drift beyond the limits our Earthly realms.

UMUR "Annihilate To Liberate" is an EP release by UK death metal act Dyscarnate. The EP was independently released in November 2008. Dyscarnate formed in 2003 under the Incarnate monicker but changed to the current one in 2004. They released one demo under the Incarnate monicker and a second demo under the Dyscarnate name before recording and releasing "Annihilate To Liberate".

Dyscarnate are the type of act who don´t let the listener wait in suspense to reveal what they have to offer. Right from the opening notes of EP opener "Fuelling the Ignorance" it´s made abundantly clear that these guys mean business...serious business in terms of delivering their brand of death metal in the most caustic and relentlessly aggressive, brutal, and furiously fast-paced fashion. It´s a sledgehammer to the face type of listening experience and "Annihilate To Liberate" is a release bound to leave the listener out of breath and exhausted. There isn´t a second on this 5 track, 21:28 minutes long EP which can even remotely be considered a breather.

While it´s definitely a pummeling release in every way possible, there is a bit more to the music than just brutality and aggression. This is technically very well played and the tracks feature effectful tempo changes, sharp riffs (and heavy brutal grooves), and some very convincing and commanding growling vocals. The lack of lead guitar motifs and solos make the tracks a slightly one-dimensional listening experience, and just a few of those would probably have made the EP a more memorable release. Dyscarnate are completely uncompromising though, and while I may not agree with every songwriting decision they´ve made here, I always applaud a band who doesn´t compromise with their musical vision.

"Annihilate To Liberate" features a raw, brutal, and unpolished sounding production job, and while the production suits the material well, it could have been interesting to hear a few more details (more variation), as it´s obviously music featuring a lot of intriguing notes and rhythms. So if you enjoy your death metal brutal, aggressive, and raw, but still played with great technical skill, "Annihilate To Liberate" is a recommended listen. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Endemic Divine" is the fifth full-length studio album by Polish death metal act Deivos. The album was released through Selfmadegod Records in February 2017. It´s the successor to "Theodicy" from 2015, which was an album dividing the waters a bit. Deivos tried a slightly different approach to their brand of technical death metal and the end result was slightly less pummeling and brutal than the sound on their early releases, and a little more sophisticated and dare I say (semi) progressive...

...that approach is continued on "Endemic Divine", which in many ways is a sibling release to "Theodicy (2015)" in terms of songwriting style, production values, and performances. Deivos are an incredibly well playing and skilled unit, but while there are no end to sharp precision playing, breaks, and tempo changes, Deivos still manage to add an organic touch to their music. It´s in no small part due to the drumming of Krzysztof Saran, who is an otherworldly musician. His playing is creative (notice the use of cowbells), delivers powerful beats, and always drives the music forward. The riffs on the album deserve a special mention too. Brutal, sharp, rhythmic, and often quite catchy although they are also often a bit unusual for the style. The vocals are growling and they are often layered/doubled by another extreme vocal, which to my ears is a bit of a shame. The vocals would have stood out more on the album, if they had not been layered. The layering gives them a watered down feeling.

While the musicianship is arguably on a high level in most departments, it wouldn´t have mattered if the songwriting didn´t follow suit, but that´s not a problem on "Endemic Divine". There are several strong compositions on the 8 track, 32:19 minutes long album, which closes with the excellent 7:50 minutes long title track. Add to that a powerful and detailed sound production, and the end result is a high quality death metal release. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Rotten to the Core Part 2 (The Nightmare Continues)" is the ninth full-length studio album by US metal act Deceased. The album was released through Malt Soda Recordings in July 2020. It´s the successor to "Ghostly White" from 2018, but it´s not a new studio album featuring original music. Instead it´s a hardcore/punk covers album, featuring covers of artists like Final Conflict, Buzzcocks, and The Accüsed. It´s Deceased second album featuring hardcore/punk covers as they released the "Rotten to the Core" covers album in 2004.

Not surprisingly "Rotten to the Core Part 2 (The Nightmare Continues)" sounds like a natural successor to "Rotten to the Core" (2004) (the CD version of this album actually features all tracks from the 2004 album as bonus material), and if you enjoyed the first release of the series, you´ll pretty surely appreciate "Rotten to the Core Part 2 (The Nightmare Continues)" too. Deceased are a well playing band and they try to put their own spin on the songs, and are relatively successful doing that. The source material are however a little difficult to deal with in terms of making the tracks stand out. The simple and one-dimensional nature of the hardcore/punk styled tracks simply doesn´t provide Deceased with much to work with.

A few tracks of course stand out more than the rest like the cover of "London Calling" by The Clash, but the album is generally not the most varied listening experience. Although the album is relatively well produced and enjoyable while it plays (regardless if you know the original tracks or not), it´s not a release which holds up to the studio albums featuring the band´s original material, and it should be viewed as a "fun" release, the band recorded because of their love for the source material and for their own sake, rather than for the sake of their normal audience. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Ghostly White" is the eighth full-length studio album by US metal act Deceased. The album was released through Hells Headbangers Records in November 2018. It´s the successor to "Surreal Overdose" from 2011 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Dave Castillo has returned to the fold, and Kingsley Fowley therefore only performs vocals on this album.

Stylistically the material on "Ghostly White" is unmistakably the sound of Deceased as they have pretty much sounded since the release of the band´s third full-length studio album "Fearless Undead Machines" (1997). It´s a relatively unique combination of traditional heavy metal/speed metal, but with an added thrash metal/death metal extremity edge. Fowley for example is firmly placed in the latter camp, with his raw shouting and at times semi-growling vocals, but much of the instrumental part of the music belongs in the former camp, albeit a filthy, loud, and extreme version of it. Deceased are quite sophisticated songwriters though, and there are loads of melodic guitar leads on the album, and the riffs are both powerful and well thought out. Samples and occasional use of female vocals and eerie spoken word sections only add to the ominous mood of the release.

"Ghostly White" features the usual horror story lyrics and Fowley is as always a great storyteller. The type of presenter that you really want to listen to telling a story. "Ghostly White" reeks of occult darkness and horror, and the raw and organic sounding production further enhances the gloomy atmosphere. It´s a timeless production job, and if you didn´t know it, you wouldn´t necessarily have guessed that "Ghostly White" was recorded in 2018. It could just as well have been recorded in the 80s or in the 90s. The tracks are generally pretty long (most of them around 6 minutes long), which isn´t unusual for Deceased, but it is afer all a bit unusual to see that they have composed a track as long as "Germ of Distorted Lore", which features a playing time of 13:20 minutes. The track itself ins´t particularly different from the remaining tracks though...just longer.

Other than the strong songwriting and well sounding production, one of the great strengths of Deceased has always been their high level musicianship, and "Ghostly White" is no different from the preceding releases when it comes to that. The drumming is organic and powerful, the guitars creative and sharp, and while Fowley does have a tendency to be a little one-dimensional, he is still a greatly charming frontman with a unique approach to singing. Upon conclusion "Ghostly White" is another high quality hybrid trad/speed/thrash/death metal release by Deceased, showing no signs of rust or lack of inspiration, which are always the danger signs to look for on releases by artists who have been active as long as Deceased have. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Crypts of the Unrotten" is the second full-length studio album by German death metal act Dawn Of Disease. The album was released through NoiseArt Records in April 2012. It´s the successor to "Legends Of Brutality" from 2011 and features the exact same quintet lineup who recorded the predecessor.

Stylistically the music on "Crypts of the Unrotten" is early 90s influenced death metal, but this time around Dawn Of Disease have added a melodic death metal element to their sound. It´s not melodeath, but melodic death metal, and I hear more than one moment reminding me of an act like Dismember. I think it´s the way the band compose and play the leads. They have that morbid yet still melodic sound to them, that many of the early 90s Swedish death metal artists excelled in. The vocals are brutal but intelligible growling, and they are both well performed and delivered in a convincing manner. The band are generally well playing, but I´m not really a fan of the drumming style. It´s not providing the music with the organic touch it needs and the transitions between the different tempos in the music are not handled in the most suiting fashion.

"Crypts of the Unrotten" features a powerful, brutal, and well sounding production job, altough the drums could have prospered from a more organic tone. Upon conclusion "Crypts of the Unrotten" is a good quality death metal release and it´s certainly a step up in quality from the relatively weak debut album. You won´t hear much here you haven´t heard before but if you enjoy good quality death metal "Crypts of the Unrotten" isn´t the worst album to pick up. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Lacerated" is an EP release by Danish, Silkeborg based death metal act Dawn of Demise. The EP was released through Deepsend Records in October 2008. It bridges the gap between the band´s debut- and second full-length studio albums "Hate Takes Its Form (2007)" and "A Force Unstoppable (2010)". Guitarist Jakob Nyholm has left since the release of the debut album, and as he hasn´t been replaced here, Dawn of Demise is a quartet on "Lacerated", with Martin Sørensen handling all guitars.

"Lacerated" features two new original tracks and three covers of Suffocation, At The Gates, and Obituary. The original compositions are brutal, groove laden, and technical death metal and they are both quality tracks. Dawn of Demise were never the most unique sounding act on the scene, but they´ve always produced memorable and crushingly brutal material, performed with great passion and conviction, and that counts for something too. I can´t say I find neither the cover of "Infecting The Crypts" (Suffocation) nor the cover of "Turned Inside Out" (Obituary) to be more than decent, but "Blinded By Fear" (At The Gates) is a bit different from the original as a consequence of the more meaty and brutal sounding production values, and that makes it worth a listen. It is however the two original compositions which are the most interesting tracks on "Lacerated".

As mentioned "Lacerated" features a meaty, brutal, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. The performanes are also of a high level from all involved and upon conclusion "Lacerated" is a good quality release by Dawn of Demise and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

siLLy puPPy Forged in the frigid northwestern North American enclave of Victoria, British Columbia, the dissonant birth pangs of MITOCHONDRION were spawned in 2003 by vocalist / guitarist Shawn Haché and a few other musicians who would jump ship before the band released its first powerhouse of disso-tech death metal madness of a debut titled “Archaeaeon” which not only rocked the house with subsequent connecting vowels but launched the band into the filthy grime of the latest trend in the world of death metal that has only grown uglier and more brutal in recent years. The band continued with a new lineup emanating as a power quartet of Haché and noise makers extraordinaire bassist / guitarist Nick Yankchuk along with drum abuser in the first degree Karl Godard. Add bassist Sebastian Montesi and Victoria, BC, Canada would never be the same.

Three years later after delivering a lightning bolt on the world of technical death metal, MITOCHONDRION returned with its equally devastating delivery of deathened order and chaos with PARASIGNOSIS, a term which has no inherent dictionary meaning but rather seems to have been invented to signify the esoteric and mysteria that the musical flow supplicates from the listener as the bantering swells of sonic disassociation overwhelm the senses with impending awe and utter despair. A somewhat shorter affair then its predecessor, PARASIGNOSIS nevertheless unleashes a near hour’s run of ominously dissonant guitar riffs that are monstrous in scope as well as embracing a simplicity of an oscillating electrical current. Bantering bass lines bleed into the distorted brutality while pummeling percussive gymnastics engulf the senses like a maddened demonic lusus naturae.

While “Archaeaeon” displayed a martial rhythmic procession into an insinuated battlefield whether that exist in the physical 3D construct of reality or a supposed spiritual ethereal realm, PARASIGNOSIS on the other hand offers a more jagged and less tangible navigation through its nine tracks that wend and wind through various electrifying motifs and cranial crushing cadences flowing like an engorged raging torrent of liquid in a disastrous flood sweeping away anything or anyone that stands in its way. Once again the atmospheric backdrop adds a melodic less chaotic palette cleanser during the scant moments where the orotund uproar is quelled for a moment of respite which offer the sounds of the mandolin, bandoneon and John Cage inspired piano string avant-garde ending effects, all of which end the album’s run with “Kathenotheism” and “Untitled” which are allowed to craft an eerie hallucinogenic counterpart to the ferocity of the otherwise incessantly raging rapid enthusiast’s guide to the world of 21st century disso-death.

MITOCHONDRION’s delivery system which blurs the distinction between death metal, black metal and the 20th century classical experimentalist’s avant-weird in many ways follows in the footsteps of both Deathspell Omega and Portal supplying a swath of influences and packing it all into massive swells of undulating sonic chunks with a suffocating production value that could land it in the so-called caverncore section of the difficult listening music section. Despite the modern metal hybridization trend, the grumbling growls of Haché keep the overall effect leashed in the death metal camp while the eerie atmospheres and spidery guitar antics point more to the extreme metal outsider’s realm where avant-chaos mongers like Gorguts, Gigan and Ulcerate have risen like necromancer monstrosities from the depths of the underworld. Similarly to the band’s debut effort, PARASIGNOSIS flows eminently well from beginning to the end with an uninterrupted stream of consciousness that demands a focused attention span throughout its run.

On par with its lauded debut, MITOCHRONDRION brought forth a veritable slice of top tier disso-death with its sophomore release which kept the band a few steps away from the more accessible realms of the ever-expanding spectrum of the death metal universe but continued to pioneer its way into its own mind blowing area of this strange new arena in the genre where pummeling brutality, technical wizardry and spectral surrealism collude to craft a paranormal multidimensional horror show with a touch of Lovecraftian ingenuity. For my liking and my insatiable appetite for this strange new world of atmospheric metaphysical extreme metal, MITOCHONDRION delivered the energetic flow of its bioelectrical namesake with pizzaz and bravado on PARASIGNOSIS thus offering a one two punch of near perfection on its mere two album run that would cease with this for an extended hiatus.

UMUR "Betrayer of Humanity" is an EP release by Swedish thrash metal act Lunatic Brigade. The EP was independently released in September 2016. Lunatic Brigade formed in 2015 by among others the two former Hatred members Kenneth Wiklund (guitars) and Sonny Svedlund (drums).

Stylistically this is pretty standard US influenced thrash metal and it´s artists like Forbidden, Demonica, and Lunatic Brigade´s fellow countrymen in Mezzrow, who are the valid references. The music is well performed, and lead vocalist Matte Kärvemo has a raw yet melodic tinged delivery. Tight, thrashy, and powerful playing and some relatively memorable songwriting. Lunatic Brigade arguably know what they´re doing.

"Betrayer of Humanity" also features a sharp, powerful, and heavy sounding production job, which suits the material perfectly, and fans of any of the above mentioned artists should find a lot to appreciate here. It´s not exactly unique sounding or innovative in any way, but it´s a good quality release on all other parameters and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "New Found Power" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Texas based groove metal act Damageplan. The album was released through Elektra Records in February 2004. Damageplan was founded in 2003 under the New Found Power monicker but changed to the current band name in early 2004. Damageplan was formed by the Abbott brothers, Dimebag Darrell (guitars) and Vinnie Paul (drums) after the demise of Pantera. The lineup on "New Found Power" is completed by lead vocalist Patrick Lachman (ex-guitarist for Halford) and bassist Bob Kahaha. Damageplan would be a short-lived affair as Dimebag Darrell was shot dead in a Columbus, Ohio nightclub in December 2004, while performing with Damageplan. A tragic episode which meant the end of the band.

Stylistically the 14 tracks on the 61:39 minutes long album are vers/chorus structured groove metal, featuring heavy groove laden riffs and rhythms, and a raw and angry sounding vocalist in front, who occasionally sings clean vocal parts too ("Save Me" is an example of that). The performances are tight and the sound production relatively well sounding, but the material is generally a bit generic and feel uninspired. Other than a couple of sharp groovy riffs here and a pitch shifter effect laden lead guitar part there, and a drum sound that is somewhat similar to Vinnie Paul´s distinct sounding drum production on Pantera´s releases, there aren´t much on this album which reveal that the Abbott brothers are involved. To hear a guitarist of Dimebag´s caliber play one anonymous and generic groove metal riff after another is almost a tragedy when you know what he is capable of producing.

While this is of course a made up story, I picture the Abbott brothers playing these songs to Phil Anselmo, asking him to sing on them on the new Pantera album, and Phil crying out in disbelief at what he has just heard..."hell no! I ain´t going to sing on those generic groove metal tunes"... "and by the way...I´m done with Pantera, if this is all you can muster". Back to reality Lachman is actually a decent vocalist, who does a good job with the material he has to work with, but it really isn´t much. "New Found Power" isn´t a terrible release, but it´s a mediocre one and considering the musicians involved it´s hard not to be disappointed by the quality of the songwriting in particular. Don´t expect anything near the quality of the Abbott brothers former act. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Helpyourselfish" is the fifth full-length studio album by Danish hard rock act D-A-D (previously Disneyland After Dark). The album was released through Medley Records in March 1995. It´s the successor to "Riskin' It All (1991)". After touring in support of the hugely successful "Riskin' It All (1991)", D-A-D went on a 3-year hiatus where they didn´t give interviews or made any public appearances. From the day they released "No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims" (1989) until the last show on the tour supporting "Riskin' It All" (1991) in July 1992, D-A-D had been on an almost constant recording/touring schedule and they were probably burnt out and needed a break. Behind the scenes the band worked on reinventing themselves after they were dropped by Warner Bros. Records (their international recording contract), after "Riskin' It All (1991)" only sold 60.000 copies in the US. Internatinally it was a pretty big success though selling around 450.000 copies.

Part of reinventing themselves meant that D-A-D dropped most of the humour elements from the previous releases (although the title of the album would suggest otherwise) and considerably turned up the heaviness of their music, and as a result "Helpyourselfish" is arguably the most heavy release in the band´s discography. Bringing in Paul Northfield (Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, Dream Theater, Geezer, Queensrÿche...etc.) to produce the album brought a more meaty heavy riff approach to the songwriting, and although D-A-D were still primarily a hard rock band, they did touch heavy rock/metal territories on this particular release (tracks like "Reconstrucdead" and "Blood In / Out" are examples of that). They´ve included melodic rock songs like "Unowned" and "Prayin' to a God", and a ballad like "Flat" to balance things out, and "Helpyourselfish" is a release featuring enough variation to entertain all the way through the 51:11 minutes long playing time.

It´s fully understandable (especially in retrospect) that D-A-D felt the need to evolve and change their music to better suit the times, as both "No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims" and "Riskin' It All" were in many ways connected to the 80s glam metal/hair metal scene (although they are essentially just hard rock albums), which in 1995 was almost totally dead and buried. I think "Helpyourselfish" showed a bold, well playing, and inspired act, but also a band who wasn´t completely comfortable with the heavier direction their music had taken. "Helpyourselfish" features a couple of really great songs and especially the opening duo of "Reconstrucdead" and "Written in Water" plus the title track stand out as bring highlights. The album is unfortunately frontloaded with the best tracks and there are some more unremarkable tracks the longer you get into the tracklist. still a 3.5 star (70%) rating isn´t all wrong.