Memento Mori

The long-awaited 7th full-length by these U.S. Death Metal stalwarts. Formed in the bowels of Chicago way back in 1997, Cardiac Arrest should need no introduction to ardent fans of rotting and blood-drenched Death Metal, for these grave-dwellers have been carving out aural nightmares of perishing and grime for decades now. Consisting of four individuals with an unearthly interest in all that's absurd, morbid, gruesome and unhealthy, the band's been consistently getting heavier and more vile with every album they spat out, honoring timeless Death Metal of the most grinding and putrid ilk with genuineness and a no-nonsense approach, yet adding enough personality to be in a forever-rotting league of their very own. Now, more than half a dozen albums deep into their 23-year career, Cardiac Arrest have again delivered a masterstroke that bands a third of their age would be jealous to release: "The Day That Death Prevailed". Much like they did with their previous album for Memento Mori, 2018's acclaimed "A Parallel Dimension of Despair", Cardiac Arrest stick to their guns, but come out with those guns fully blazing! Tastes may change, but these U.S. diehards continue to stay true to the iron-clad ethos of genuine, all-caps Death Metal; if anything, they get better with age. Indeed, the title "The Day That Death Prevailed" is fitting, for their rigorously fine-tuned form of Death Metal squarely harkens to older, purer days -when true songwriting was valued most, and the disgusting chops to back it up. Cardiac Arrest do both here, gutsfucking the listener with a fiercely focused mix of headbanging gallops and well-timed bouts of blasting, a streamlined, shit-heavy steamroller that's as catchy as the clap; hooks and grooves and generally memorable nastiness are all sliced and sluiced across "The Day That Death Prevailed" with absolute ease. But lest one think "catchy" means "soft", think again: these Chicago miscreants are ever committed to horror in the most classic sense, just like aesthetic forebears Grave, Master, Benediction, Obituary, Cianide, Malevolent Creation and, of course, the Floridian masters Death and Massacre. This deep into their catalog, though, and it's about damn time Cardiac Arrest are included in the (un)hallowed ranks, right? With suitably stark cover art courtesy of Eric Rot and another crushing mastering job by Javier Felez at Moontower Studios, "The Day That Death Prevailed" once again proves that old age doesn't soften the diehard one bit: it just kicks them into Cardiac Arrest!

CD version of these Italians' sophomore full-length, previously only released on vinyl and digital format in 2016. Cancer Spreading are preaching their gospel of nihilism and self-destruction since 2006, actively and ruthlessly punishing the underground scene with a demo, an EP, a bunch of splits (w/ Children Of Technology, Fatum and Last Legion Alive, among others) and two full-length albums, the first of which, titled "The Age of Desolation", was unleashed upon mankind on CD format by us back in 2011. Their music is an apocalyptic, spine-wrenching alloy of the Crust/Metal that we oldies used to call Stenchcore back in the 80's, and the heavier-than-thou, earth-shattering sound that made Bolt Thrower stand out as one of the most storming and most influential Death Metal acts ever. Utterly recommended for fans of the Coventry legends, as well as Deviated Instinct, Asphyx, Sacrilege, Axegrinder, Sanctum, War Master, Stormcrow...

The jaw-dropping debut album by this French band. Hailing from Grenoble, Barús formed in 2015 and soon released their self-titled debut EP through Emanations (a division of Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions). Since mid-2016, work has been focused on their debut full-length album. Bearing the ominous title "Drowned", this is a bolt-from-the-blue work of unimaginable vision and towering might. Indeed, the term "βαρύς" evokes a weight, an overbearing burden. Through Barús, this takes musical form through a complex and utterly atmospheric -but, above all, completely and totally visceral- approach to Death Metal. Call it an alchemy of sorts, but "Drowned" presents a moltenly monolithic, ceaselessly churning sound merged with palpably progressive structures, frequently stretching into Black and Doom Metal territories -and effortlessly, at that- all compellingly completed by bowels-of-Hell deep vociferations and vocalizations spanning semi-clean moans, spoken word, chants and everything in between. Truly, it's a nightmare made flesh, its dissonance instilling an unshakable tension and terror, and yet Barús manage to make it sound so alluring, so tempting, to literally drown in the enormity they lay bare for the helpless listener. Drowned indeed! We don't usually dip our toes into "progressive" or "post" waters, favoring the musty odor of vintage Death Metal. However, when presented with Barús' "Drowned", we couldn't help but submit to their visionary onslaught on the senses. So, while we could describe them as "Autopsy reinterpreted by Meshuggah" or "Gojira and Gorguts jamming out to an old Demilich tune with Ulcerate's instruments," we're confident Barús should definitely appeal to fans of such daring bands as Gorguts, Triptykon, Ulcerate, Emptiness, Meshuggah, Portal, Diskord, Akercocke, Gojira, Sumac, Deathspell Omega, Altars and Chaos Echoes. Featuring 9 songs in a vast yet time-evaporating 56 minutes, the production on "Drowned" is absolutely stellar. It was recorded between 2016 and 2017 at Plastic Lobster Studios & Eptagon, with drum recording and additional reamping done at Octavox Studio, while mixing and mastering were done by James Leonard at Plastic Lobster Studios. Completed by cover art courtesy of the masterful Timo Ketola, with inner artwork by Stephen Wilson, Barús' "Drowned" is this year's dark-horse classic in the making!

Official reissue of the 2010 EP by this already cult Spanish band. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Javier Felez (of Graveyard fame) at his own Moontower Studios in Barcelona, "Curse of the Requiem Mass" features 6 tracks of putrid and foul-smelling Death Metal in the purest tradition of the early works of bands such as Asphyx, Autopsy, Morgoth and Immolation, with a pinch of the old school Swedish/Finnish vibe (think Depravity and Convulse). As a very special bonus, this CD also includes their 2009 demo, "Rotten Shit", for a total of 45 minutes of aural filth and decay.

The highly anticipated 2nd full-length by this Canadian band. With beginnings in 2011, Altered Dead are a two-piece contributing to the tradition of early Death Metal with a simple and therefore genuine approach: no frills, filthy and raw, proudly influenced by the likes of Autopsy, Death Breath, Grave, Asphyx, Darkthrone, Unleashed, Exhumed and Carnage. Released in 2016, Altered Dead's debut album, simply self-titled, was a cornucopia of darkness and utter death. Twisted and gross riffs ripped alongside warring treads of percussion, with the accompaniment of scalded and bellowing dual vocals mangling the listener's mind. Similarly, lyrical themes revolved around physical and mental warfare, mutating human nature and imminent conflict and collapse. Currently residing in Esquimalt, on southern Vancouver Island, the duo have had numerous live performances and subsequently started work on their long-awaited 2nd full-length. At last it arrives, bearing the ever-fitting title "Returned to Life". Be forewarned, though, as there's no "Life Metal" here: only utter death, once again, and darkness eternal, of course. The strikingly sick and psychedelic cover art by Matt Sidney should give some clues as to where Altered Dead are coming from here: tendrils of slimy and viscous riffage rising from the muck to ensnare martial mid-tempo gallops and frequent detours into doomed-out despair. The sum effect is infinitely headbanging as it is scabrously sewer-dredging, but rest assured that Altered Dead place a premium on stridently classic songwriting as their aforementioned forebears did at the dawn of the 90's: hooks, line and sinking... into the primordial abyss! Thus, "Returned to Life" is both backwards-looking as well as inward-looking -as in inward into that very same abyss. And, it also bears re-emphasizing that Altered Dead are a duo; however, for only two people, the band create a world-eating sound far larger than their pared-down membership may convey on paper. Credit due to Loïc Fontaine for his clear and crushing mastering job at Krucyator Studio, France. Closing with a faithful cover of Celtic Frost's "Into the Crypts of Rays", Altered Dead deliver traditional Death Metal perfection with "Returned to Life".

A collection of all the songs (most of them available on CD format for the first time ever) included in their "...From Forgotten Tombs" (originally released on vinyl format in 2008) and "...From Forgotten Tombs II" (originally released on digital format in 2013) compilations on one disc, featuring the "Pleasures of War" EP (2004), a cover of Pentagram's "The Ghoul" and their side of the splits with Rue (2004), Sod Hauler (2005), Zoroaster (2009) and Unearthly Trance (2009). Adorned with an amazingly ominous artwork by Igor 'Abigor' Mugerza, "…From Forgotten Tombs I & II" display almost 70 minutes worth of gargantuan sheer heaviness and eerie aural landscapes from the undisputed U.S. masters of funeralized Doom/Sludge Metal with a Lovecraftian vibe. If the prospect of soul-crushing and utmost heavy Doom Metal suits your fancy, this anthology of Aldebaran's plodding opuses is an absolute necessity to drown in cosmic terror. Compilation of previous "...From Forgotten Tombs" compilations into a single CD format. Track 7 is a [a=Pentagram] cover.