UMUR "God is Violence" is the debut full-length studio album by US, California based grindcore act Cancer Christ. The album was released through Seeing Red Records in January 2024. Cancer Christ formed in 2020 and released the "The Blood of Jesus" EP in October 2021. A couple of years later the "Satan Is A Bitch" appeared in June 2023. Some of the material from the two EPs have been re-recorded and included on "God is Violence". The main duo lineup of Tommy Meehan (Snake Boss on Noise Guitars, Vocals, Samples) and Anthony Mehlhaff (Saint Anthony on vocals) are complimented by new commers Piss Snake (bass, vocals), Diesel Snake (guitars), and Apocalypse Snake (drums).

Stylistically this is noisy and raw grindcore featuring samples and some raw and aggressive shouted hardcore vocals. comparisons to Pig Destroyer and especially to Agoraphobic Nosebleed are valid. I´m often reminded of the filth, noise, and depravity of the latter...also when it comes to the lyrics which are quite twisted and extreme. Cancer Christ are known for delivering chaotic live shows and for always wearing snake/reptilian masks on stage, which could suggest that they are a novelty joke band, but nothing could be further from the truth and the 20 tracks on the 26:09 will convince you otherwise if you give the album a listen.

This is both very well performed, well produced, and even more important incredibly well composed. Cancer Christ is a prime example of high quality grindcore, which offers a lot more than just relentless blast beats and primitive songwriting. This is quite sophisticated in its own right, although Cancer Christ never forget aggression, brutality, and the right filthy attitude. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Fossil Gardens" is the sixth full-length studio album by Greek progressive metal act Hail Spirit Noir. The album was released through Agonia Records in June 2024. It´s the successor to "Mannequins" from September 2021 and although Hail Spirit Noir haven´t returned in the sextet lineup who recorded their fourth full-length studio album "Eden in Reverse" (2020), they have returned in rock group format with drums, guitars, bass, keyboards/synths, and vocals. The reason for mentioning this is that "Mannequins" was an experimental synthwave release featuring only the (at the time) two keyboardists of the group and lead vocalist Cons Marg.

"Mannequins" was always meant to be a one-off experiment, and "Fossil Gardens" sees Hail Spirit Noir returning to their psychedelic/progressive black metal roots. We do get a little bit of "Mannequins'" sound and melodies as opening track "Starfront Promenade" features select melodic themes from the "Mannequins" title track. It´s pretty interesting to hear what was originally a synth pop track transformed into a progressive black metal song, but it says a lot about the eclectic and adventurous nature of Hail Spirit Noir.

While "Starfront Promenade" a bit deceivingly opens "Fossil Gardens" with a mellow melancholic clean vocal section, and there are several other moments on the album which belong in psychedelic/progressive rock/metal territory, "Fossil Gardens" is actually one of the harder edged and most black metal leaning albums yet from Hail Spirit Noir. At least when they play harder edged sections. There´s bite and black metal snarling and aggression (and even blast beat sections) here which are sharper and more caustic/chaotic sounding than what we´ve normally been treated to on the preceding releases from the band. The atmosphere is often epic in scope (almost symphonic black metal styled at times), but just as soon turns melancholic or psychedelic. The many tremolo picked melancholic guitar melodies are just gorgeous and feel massive, leaving an intense impact on the listener.

When your ears get adjusted to this more extreme black metal style, "Fossil Gardens" is still unmistakably the sound of Hail Spirit Noir (...and it´s not that extreme), and it´s an incredibly well crafted release. The sound production is top notch, the performances showcase high level musicianship on all posts, and the songwriting is eclectic, adventurous, and intriguing. It´s the kind of the album you can listen to many times and find new details everytime. If they weren´t already one of the leaders of progressive/psychedelic black metal, this album would surely lift them to that status. A 4.5 star (90%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Cutting the Throat of God" is the seventh full-length studio album by New Zealand, Auckland based death metal act Ulcerate. The album was released through Debemur Morti Productions in June 2024. It´s the successor to "Stare into Death and Be Still" from April 2020. No lineup changes have happened and in fact the trio lineup of Jamie Saint Merat (drums, percussion), Michael Hoggard (guitars), and Paul Kelland (bass, vocals) have performed together in this incarnation since Ulcerate´s sophomore studio album "Everything Is Fire" from 2009. A few guitarists have performed with them live, but none have appeared on the band´s albums since 2009.

Already a few albums back, Ulcerate crawled out from under the shadow of dissonant oriented Gorguts influenced death metal, which was a style gracing a lot of their previous releases. While the dissonant and heavy death metal riffs are still a part of Ulcerate´s sound on "Cutting the Throat of God" (as it was on the last couple of albums too), they´ve slowly developed into something else...almost transcending genre definitions and boundaries, incorporating elements of technical death metal, dissonant death metal, progresive extreme metal, avant-garde metal moments, and post-metal build-ups and atmospheres. Very much their own at this point, and now a leader of the pack instead of being one of the followers (of the Gorguts school of dissonant death metal), Ulcerate have reached the thing that almost every artist strives for, which is having a unique sound and the respect which follows.

Stylistically this is dark, oppressive, and bleak music. It´s like watching the world crumple in front of your eyes while waiting for an inevitable apocalypse. The combination of ultra heavy riffs and rhythms, and the deeply melancholic and bleak dissonant riffs and sad slighly mellower post-metal parts is an effective one. The growling death metal vocals are relatively one-dimensional but the lack of too much aggressive emotion is probably a conscious decision, as the more emotionless growling fits well with the bleak concept of the instrumental part of the music.

"Cutting the Throat of God" features 7 tracks, and a total playing time of 57:46. All track are between 7 and 9 minutes long and this is by no means easy listening material. Not just because of the song lengths, but the tracks themselves are also quite complex in structure and goes through many different sections and dynamics. So brace yourself for a relatively long, challenging, and emotionally draining listening experience. Not draining in the sense that this is an awful release to sit through, but in the sense that it requires your full attention, and listening to almost an hour of music this oppressive and bleak is almost always a challenge.

The album is packed in a well sounding production job, and you can hear all details in the soundscape. It´s not too polished though and "Cutting the Throat of God" is still a very heavy, raw, and brutal sounding release. Upon conclusion "Cutting the Throat of God" is another impressive high quality release from Ulcerate. It´s not often an artist gets better and better with each release but Ulcerate is one such act. It´s almost impossible to understand that this is album number seven and they still sound as hungry, experimental, and brutal as they did when starting out, and to my ears have actually become much more interesting over the years. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Maleficium - Part 1" is the ninth full-length studio album by Danish death metal act Panzerchrist. The album was released through Emanzipation Productions in December 2024. It´s the successor to "Last of a Kind" from July 2023, although the two full-length studio albums are bridged by the January 2024 "All Witches Shall Burn" EP. There has been one lineup change since "Last of a Kind" as drummer Danni Jelsgaard has been replaced by Ove Lungskov.

Stylistically the material on "Maleficium - Part 1" continue the blackened death metal style of "Last of a Kind", but with more focus on the death metal part of Panzerchrist´s sound. The snarling blackened vocals of lead vocalist Sonja Rosenlund Ahl still points in a black metal direction and there are riffs here and there which are also undeniably in the black metal camp, but "Maleficium - Part 1" is still predominantly a fast-paced, aggressive, and brutal death metal release (just with an added blackened edge). Behemoth´s early 00s albums are a valid reference, and if you remove most of the melodic leads and harmonies from the music of artists like Unanimated and Necrophobic (which of course you can´t really do, as they are pillars of the music of those artists), you´re in the vicinity of what you hear on "Maleficium - Part 1".

Panzerchrist successfully balance the different genre elements and create a sound of their own. It´s not a particularly unique sound, but the combination of brutal and fast-paced death metal (which occasionally takes me back to the early 00s releases by Panzerchrist) and more cold, aggressive, and at times even epic black metal works pretty well for them. Ahl´s vocals are also very well performed and adds a lot to the listening experience. She means business and there´s no doubt about it. The occasional use of eerie keyboard sections is quite nice for the variation of the album. "Weak Is The Flesh" is a good example of keyboards adding a lot of atmosphere.

"Maleficium - Part 1" features a raw, brutal, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. This is arguably a very well produced release. The high level musicianship and effective and memorable songwriting are definitely not negatives either and "Maleficium - Part 1" is upon conclusion a high quality release from Panzerchrist. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "All Witches Shall Burn" is an EP release by Danish death metal act Panzerchrist. The EP was released through Emanzipation Productions in January 2024. It bridges the gap between Panzerchrist´s eighth- and ninth full-length studio albums "Last of a Kind" (July 2023) and "Maleficium - Part 1" (December 2024). The four tracks on the 19.51 minutes long EP were recorded during the sessions for "Last of a Kind" and are a continuation of the witch/inquisition themed lyrical concept of "Last of a Kind".

No surprise of course that the material is in a similar blackened death metal style as the one found on "Last of a Kind". Panzerchrist must have had one hell of a headache picking out the material to be featured on the album and which tracks should be left off, because there´s nothing wrong with the quality of the material featured on "All Witches Shall Burn". This is not just some leftover album session EP, featuring odd or slighly sub par tracks which weren´t of a good enough quality to be included on the album. These songs could just as well have been added and other album tracks left off. In that regard Panzerchrist are an incredibly consistent unit.

The EP is well produced (again of course featuring a sound production similar to the sound production found on "Last of a Kind"). Brutal, raw, epic, and detailed. Just the right sound production for this type of material. It´s overall a good quality release from Panzerchrist and a 3.5 star (70%) is well deserved.

UMUR "XXX" is an EP release by Brazilian thrash metal act Sextrash. The EP was released through Maggot Records in 1989. Sextrash formed in 1987 in Belo Horizonte and released a couple of demos in the late 80s, before being signed for the release of "XXX".

Stylistically the material on the 3 tracks, 8:49 minutes long EP is aggressive and brutal thrash metal, which at times borders proto black and death metal. "XXX" has that ferocious primal edge that many South American thrash metal releases from the 1980s are known for and it´s almost like Sextrash go out of their way to deliver the most savage and caustic attack commited to tape. It sounds authentic and nicely raw though, so they definitely succeed in delivering said attack.

The murky, loud, and raw sounding production job further enhances the brutality and aggression of the material, and while the songwriting isn´t the most original you´ll hear in the genre, "XXX" is still a decent quality release and a nice addition to your collection of 1980s thrash/blackened speed metal releases from South America. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Graveyard Classics III" is the eleventh full-length studio album by US, Florida based death metal act Six Feet Under. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in January 2010. It´s the successor to "Death Rituals" from 2008 and as the title also suggests the third instalment of the "Graveyard Classics" cover albums series.

While the first "Graveyard Classics" album featured death metal cover versions of various classic hard rock, punk, and heavy metal tracks, the second "Graveyard Classics" album was a death metal cover version of the full "Back in Black" (1980) album by AC/DC. On "Graveyard Classics III", Six Feet Under return to the formula of covering various artists instead of a full album. They have opted to cover tracks by artists like Metallica, Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Ramones, and Twisted Sister, so stylistically it´s somewhere between punk, heavy metal, and thrash metal. The instrumental performances are strong enough, but not all tracks sound great with Chris Barnes growling. Not surprisingly "At Dawn They Sleep" by Slayer is the most successful cover on the album, as it´s the track best suited for death metal growling. The tracks which originally features more melodic singing, have a tendency not to sound great with Barnes' growling on top, as he doesn´t manage to add any melody to his growling. The quality of his growling vocals also vary from track to track. On some tracks he sounds relatively decent, without reaching excellence, while he sounds monotone and a little hoarse and powerless on others.

I know some people find the "Graveyard Classics" albums a great listen, but honestly I think they are bit of a novelty listening experience. It´s entertaining enough while it plays (and there are a couple of moments where the growling vocals provide a slight humourous edge), but I don´t get the urge to listen to them again. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Torcha!" is the second full-length studio album by Finnish, Helsinki based heavy rock/metal act Waltari. The album was released through Emergo Records in 1992. It´s the succcessor to "Monk-Punk" from 1991 and features the same quartet lineup who recorded the predecessor.

Stylistically the material on "Torcha!" is an eclectic combination of musical styles and elements and in that respect "Torcha!" is a natural successor to "Monk-Punk" (1991). An alternative, adventurous, and often funky heavy rock/metal style (with the occasional nod towards thrash metal) is a relatively valid description, but Waltari are incredibly hard to put a label on (and I´m sure that´s exactly how they want it to be). Labels like high level musicianship, intriguing songwriting, and high quality production values fully apply though, and "Torcha!" is through and through an interesting listen.

Featuring 15 tracks and a total playing time of 61:11 minutes "Torcha!" is a pretty massive album in terms of quantity, but it´s not an album containing many filler tracks (like one could have feared). Instead the variation and multitude of stylistic elements ensure an engaging listen from start to finish. Even the more wacky tracks work well within the context of the album, and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is therefore deserved.

UMUR "Get What You Deserve" is the sixth full-length studio album by German thrash metal act Sodom. The album was released through Steamhammer Records in January 1994. It´s the successor to "Tapping the Vein" from 1992 and there´s been one lineup change since the predecessor a drummer Chris Witchhunter has left, leaving bassist/lead vocalist Tom Angelripper the only remaining founding member. Witchhunter has been replaced by former Living Death/Holy Moses drummer Atomic Steif (real name: Guido Richter). Guitarist Andy Brings completes the trio lineup.

Stylistically the material on "Get What You Deserve" is a continuation of the dark and brutal thrash metal sound of "Tapping the Vein" (1992). Just like the case was with the predecessor Sodom have opted for a more raw and brutal sound and Angelripper sounds seriously pissed, delivering his caustic raw snarl. It´s not quite death metal growling, but listeners who hear a death metal influence are excused. Most tracks are relatively short (2-3 minutes in length), and they are effective brutal thrash metal tunes. There are however a few exceptions from the predominantly fast-paced and furious thrash metal assault, as Sodom have also included a couple of mid-paced heavy tracks, the instrumental "Tribute to Moby Dick", a couple of German language tracks, and the occassional hardcore punk and traditional heavy metal influenced section. There´s also some humour in the lyrics department, which is a deviation from the usual death and destruction themes of the lyrics. So upon conclusion "Get What You Deserve" is a bit more varied than what it may initially appear to be. Highlights include the opening title track, "Jabba the Hut", and the above mentioned "Tribute to Moby Dick", but all tracks on the album have something to offer.

The album features a raw, brutal, and at times slightly murky sounding production job, which suits the material well. The rawness of the production provides the material with the right ferocious edge, although a few details are lost in the gloom of the mix. "Get What You Deserve" is in many ways a sibling release to "Tapping the Vein" (1992), and those who enjoyed the predecessor will pretty surely also greatly appreciate this album. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Hatred for Mankind" is the debut full-length studio album by UK blackened death/doom/sludge metal act Dragged Into Sunlight. The album was released through the Mordgrimm label in September 2009. Dragged Into Sunlight formed in 2006 and their first release was a collaboration EP/mini-album with Kas Mana titled "Terminal Aggressor" which was released in March 2009.

If the unnerving and vile cover artwork (which is somehow made even more eerie by the fact that it almost looks like it´s made by a child) doesn´t tell you that this will be an incredibly dark, savage, and hateful listening experience, the "Hatred for Mankind" album title definitely should...and here´s one of those cases where album title, cover artwork, lyrics, and music go hand in hand. This is gloomy, bleak, and hateful blackened death/doom/sludge metal, featuring an oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere (helped along by eerie voice samples from movies), which feels like it´s designed to cause you harm.

The music is relatively varied in pace and Dragged Into Sunlight master both fast-paced brutal and aggressive death metal and slower doom/sludgy parts (which sometimes remind me of what Eyehategod would sound like it they went all-in on a blackened death metal sound) with the same confidence and conviction. The vocals are brutal and caustic aggressive growling and screaming, and they are generally very well performed, adding another caustic angry element to the already vicious assault on your ears.

So this is overall a highly aggressive and brutal sounding release, but the strength of "Hatred for Mankind" is actually the balance Dragged Into Sunlight are able to create with some atmospheric (still dark and morbid) sounding parts (like the clean singins choir part on "I, Aurora"), which means the tracks never feel long or like they outstay their welcome even though most of them are actually pretty long. "Hatred for Mankind" features six tracks and a total playing time of 51:37 minutes and four out of those six tracks are either close to being 10 minutes long or exceed 10 minutes in length.

The filthy, organic, and savage sounding production values are to my ears a stroke of genius. "Hatred for Mankind" sounds crushingly heavy and brutal, but still features enough clarity for the listener to be able to hear all details of the music. It´s a perfect production job for this type of music. So upon conclusion "Hatred for Mankind" is a high quality debut album from Dragged Into Sunlight. This does not sound like a debut album at all. These guys sound like they know exactly what they want to do with their music and everything on this album works well together. There´s nothing here which doesn´t fit or which sounds awkward. It´s a perfect bleak, brutal, and savage listening experience and a 4.5 star (90%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Master of Disaster" is an EP release by Canadian heavy metal act Black Knight. The EP was independently released in 1985. Black Knight formed in 1981 and released a 1984 demo before recording and self-releasing this EP. They disbanded some time after releasing "Master of Disaster", and it would be their only release (save for the 1984 demo).

Stylistically the 5 tracks on the 24:16 minutes long EP are powerful, energetic, and raw heavy metal (with a slight touch of early US power metal). Hard rocking, sharp riffs, melodic lead- and harmony guitar work, and an incredibly well singing lead vocalist in front. I was shocked to learn that the vocals are performed by a woman (Lori "The Scream Queen" Wilde), because the are very raw and if I didn´t know I would never have guessed that it was a woman singing (an artist like Chastain is a valid reference). Especially the vocal performance on the slow and epic "Aaraigathor (Metal Anthem)" makes me wonder if the vocalist credits are correct (I´ve read some sources saying that, that particular track was performed by a male vocalist). Well...under any circumstances the vocals are absolutely fantastic.

The songwriting is of a high quality, the performances are on a high level on all posts, and "Master of Disaster" also features a powerful, detailed, and sharp sounding production job, making it a high quality release from Black Knight. I would have loved to have heard a follow-up to this release, but unfortunately that wasn´t to be. To my ears this one is a gem and I can highly recommend it. Sure it´s not the most unique release in this style from 1985, but there´s so much quality here to enjoy that it´s a minor issue. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Parasite" is an eponymously titled EP release by Swedish heavy metal act Parasite. The EP was released through the Hellrec Records label in 1984. The EP has been reissued many times since. Roadrunner Records for example picked it up for a European reissue release in 1985. Parasite formed in 1981 and released two demos in 1983 before being signed for the release of this EP. It´s the only label release by Parasite as they would disband in 1985 without further releases under their belts. Drummer Johan Billerhaug would subsequently perform with both Hexenhaus and Memento Mori.

The EP features five tracks and a total playing time of 18:34 minutes. The music style is heavy metal with both melodic moments and a rare nod towards speed metal. It´s pretty effective and energetic material and lead vocalist/bassist Paul Zanichelli has a pretty strong voice and a convincing delivery. The two guitarists often play harmony parts and the band are generally well playing. The material is relatively standard for the style. Parasite don´t carve their own style with this release, but they do what they do with the right attitudes, skills, and songwriting craft. The EP also features a decent (for the time) sound production and a 3 star (60%) rating isn´t all wrong.

UMUR "Demo 2" is the fourth demo recording by Norwgian death metal act Cadaver. The demo was recorded in January 1990 but it was never officially released (which probably explains the lack of a title). It was handed out to friends of the band though, and has made its way to the public through those channels. If I have to guess it´s maybe a pre-production demo for the December 1990 "Hallucinating Anxiety" debut full-length studio album.

The demo features five tracks and a total playing time of 19:34 minutes. All five tracks would also be featured on Cadaver´s debut full-length studio album "Hallucinating Anxiety" (released in December 1990) in what to my ears sound like different versions. Very little information is available regarding this demo though, so I can´t be sure. To me the sound production just sounds much sharper, clearer, and defined than the more raw and brutal sounding "Hallucinating Anxiety".

Given the fact that all material featured on the demo is also available on "Hallucinating Anxiety" it´s not the most neccesary release if you already own the album, but that doesn´t take away from the fact that it´s a high quality old school death metal recording and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Sunset at Dawn" is the third demo recording by Norwegian death metal act Cadaver. The demo was independently released in September 1989. It was recorded live on August the 16th, 1989, in Sarpsborg, Norway. Although it may sound like a bootleg live recording it is considered an official live demo recording by the band. There´s some minimal Norwegian language communication with the audience between tracks (you can hear the audience but they are very low in the mix), but other than that Cadaver are content to deliver their music in a surprisingly mature and skilled fashion (they had only existed around a year at this point).

The demo features six tracks and a total playing time of 18:39 minutes. It´s the same six tracks which are also featured on the tracklist of the band´s second demo "Abnormal Deformity" from July 1989, although the tracklist order is slightly altered on this release. So this is not a demo featuring any new material and we are in reality "just" treated to a more raw and live recorded version of the early-Carcass influenced "Abnormal Deformity" death metal demo material. No problem though, as "Abnormal Deformity" is a great demo and the live versions of the tracks featured on "Sunset at Dawn" feature the right brutal, gritty, and savage live sound to distinguish themselves from the studio versions. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Abnormal Deformity" is the second demo recording by Norwegian death metal act Cadaver. The demo was independently released in July 1989. It follows the release of Cadaver´s November 1988 rehearsal demo "Into the Outside". Bassist René Jansen has been added to the lineup since the first demo, and Cadaver are therefore a trio on "Abnormal Deformity" (the first demo didn´t feature any bass tracks).

It´s interesting to experience the development between "Into the Outside" and "Abnormal Deformity". While the first demo was a brutal, savage, but still occasionally thrash infused old school death metal release, "Abnormal Deformity" is obviously a Carcass influenced affair. It´s like Cadaver learned of the existence of Carcass between the two demo releases, and were instantly influenced by the sound of the Liverpool band. It´s really not that strange of course as countless testimonies from seminal Norwegian, Swedish, and especially Finnish death metal artists (artists like Xysma, Disgrace, and Lubricant are for example all strongly influenced by Carcass) mention Carcass as one of their main influences.

To my ears that makes "Abnormal Deformity" a slightly less unique demo compared to the raw and more primitive "Into the Outside", but it´s still a great quality old school death metal demo, and fans of early Carcass are of course recommended to take a listen. The addition of bass makes "Abnormal Deformity" a heavier and more professional sounding demo than "Into the Outside", so there´s been no decrease in overall quality. Cadaver are still a well playing band, and they sure know how to write an effective old school death metal tune too.

The slightly more clear (although still very raw and brutal) sounding production values provide the listener with a better understanding of the details of Cadaver´s music and upon conclusion "Abnormal Deformity" is a good quality sophomore demo recording by Cadaver, showing a band on their way forward. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.