Imperial Triumphant - Goldstar (2025)

Goldstar from Imperial Triumphant is another progressive and slightly fusion jazz flavoured black metal retro-futuristic tribute to New York grandeur and decadence. Their song keeps on surprising you, but what was expected is getting another awesome album from Imperial Triumphant, and, as always, they don't disappoint. No need to say it's a highly recommended listen!

 

The BC page. 

 

 

REPLICANT - Infinite Mortality (2024)

Been thinking about reviewing a Replicant album for a long time, and now that with Infinite Mortality they released a third excellent album in a row, it's due time I do it. They deliver some dissonant death metal, of a technical / mathy kind. What I like the most about Replicant is that they're really good at finding the right balance between avant-garde impredictibility and writing memorable songs with enough groove and melodies to be catchy enough as well (we're definitely not talking about "easy listening" music, though). Warmly recommended!

The BC page.

 

 

Beaten to Death - Laat maar, ik verhuis naar het bos (2022)

There ain't a lot of bands that could be described as technical and progressive grindcore. Beaten is Death is among them, and likely the best active one. They use to toy (with talent and mastery) with a lot of different styles in their albums, but their new one Laat maar, ik verhuis naar het bos is more cohesive and would kinda be their "emoviolence album", and like anything they tried they do it sucessfully and it is a very solid and enjoyable album. Clearly one of the recent grind albums you need to listen to.

The BC page.

 

Imperial Triumphant - Spirit of Ecstasy (2022)

Let's start with what I feel is wrong in this new Imperial Triumphant album. The first two tracks (and they are long ones) are not especially memorable and could have been B sides tracks. fortunately the rest is better, even if I think Spirit of Ecstasy is not as good as were Vile Luxury and Alphaville. OK, that been said the black metal infused with free/jazz-rock (reminding John Zorn maybe even more than previously) of Imperial Triumphant is still among the best and most interesting music around and the best songs on Spirit of Ecstasy are enough to make the album totally worthy of your time. Even if Spirit of Ecstasy isn't the best Imperial Triumphant album, it's still an excellent one.

Their website

 

Voivod - Synchro Anarchy (2022)

I don't know Voivod enough to say precisely how their new albums Synchro Anarchy differs from their previous works, but I can tell you it is another fine piece of their weird and futuristic progressive thrash metal, full of memorable songs. It's a pleasure to listen to such a unique band keeping on crafting strong and interesting music.

 

Their website.

Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human Race (2019)

Like with Blood Incantation first album, it took me some time to get how good is Hidden History of the Human Race. You don't catch all the subtleties at first listen. It's rooted in old school death metal, reminding Morbid Angel at its most cosmic, but also it's different, more technical but even more more progressive. And whether they do the brutal stuff or the more "weird spacey" parts, they excel. Highly recommended, this one will naturally sit in good place among my soon to come "best death metal of 2019" list.

The Bandcamp page.

Hideous Divinity - Simulacrum (2019)

Their previous album of Hideous Divinity (from Italy) Adveniens was hard to beat, but the new one Simulacrum, their fourth one, is a very convincing following, another masterpiece in brutal and technical death metal. The monstrous epicness and the relentless intensity could remind Nile (a Nile without the Egyptian melodies). This is impressive, breath-taking but also catchy, not easy to do, but they really master their thing and found a good balance. Highly recommended stuff! One of the best death metal album of the year.

Unfathomable Ruination - Enraged & Unbound (2019)

Enraged & Unbound is the third album from UK's Unfathomable Ruination. This is very well crafted and enjoyable technical and brutal death metal. I can't compare yet with previous albums because I'm discovering them with this one, but at least on this one they found a good balance between brutality, speed, groove and melody, and brutality and technicality are not done at the expense of songwriting. Enraged & Unbound stand easily above any average death metal album, they don't push the limits of the genre, but they play it expertly.

The BC page

Beasters - Alienated by Solidarity (2019)

With their brutally chaotic technical grindcore Beasters are one of those bands that are bringing something different to grindcore. Their third album Alienated by Solidarity (this time released by Nerve Altar) is maybe even better than their previous one. I highly recommend it, really intense and crazy stuff.

The BC page.

Deiphago - I, The Devil (2019)

Even more than with the previous one there's so much going on and it's so intense in this new Deiphago album, I, The Devil, that it took me some time to appreciate it. But I now understand it's another masterpiece. Their "war metal" style black/death hybrid is not only more brutal and intense than what others are doing, but they also have a more daring and complex songwriting. We could call it "technical war metal" but actually it has more a kind of "free war metal" feel. They are this time again in their own dimension, and it's inspired, inspiring and brilliant.

The Bandcamp page.

Bea$ters - Intrinsically Worthless (2018)

Bea$ters is a band from the US East coast, playing what we can call technical grind, Intrinsically Worthless, released last year is their second album (first one was good as well) and it's 10 minutes of high intensity technical grind but it's surpsisingly catchy. Really good stuff.

The BC page.

Alkaloid - Liquid Anatomy (2018)

I really should have paid more attention to this album because I now think it's one of the best metal albums released last year. The second album from Alkaloid (with guys that were in Obscura and many other bands), Liquid Anatomy is a masterpiece in progressive and technical death metal, with clean melodic vocals and more traditionnal death metal vocals, but often sounding really death metal, even often strongly reminding Morbid Angel. It can obviously appeal to afficionados of tech/prog death metal but also to anyone into extreme metal and open minded enough. There's virtuosity but it's more about excellent death metal songs.
Highly recommended stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

Desecravity - Anathema (2019)

With its third album Anathema, Desecravity (from Tokyo) confirms its good reputation in the technical death metal scene (on the hyperspeed and brutal side, not the jazzy/prog one), after you skip the useless and cheesy intro you get a non-stop pummeling of blasts beats and guitar shredding. And you will like it cause it's good! If you're into this kind of stuff this is a mandatory listen, and even if usually you're not, maybe you'll still like this one.

The BC page.

Beaten to Death - Agronomicon (2018)

Easily one of the most special and interesting grind band in activity Beaten To Death from Norway is back with a new album called Agronomicon. Not very different from their previous one this time but it's not a problem since they've already found a style of their own, a strange kind of technical and melodic grindcore (yes!) that is also often as brutal and relentless as grind can be. Another really good album of surprising, catchy and varied grind songs from BTD.

The BC page.

Exocrine - Molten Giant (2018)

All the praises this album is receiving is deserved. Molten Giant, released with Unique Leader records is the third, and best album of the French Exocrine. This is high quality brutal and technical death metal, somewhere between Morbid Angel and Obscura. Not only good riffing and grooves and nice leads but also well-written memorable songs that are catchy yet brutal. Really good stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

Archspire - Relentless Mutation (2017)

Yes, with this one I dared into territories unusual for me, I'm definitely more used to old school stuff. Yes, we're talking about death metal here. I suppose the cover art made me try this one, and I had a good surprise since the music is as good and crazy as the cover art. Relentless Mutation is the second album from Archspire and it's better on every level than their first one (which was good already), Relentless Mutation is a bit less fast and brutal, but with a better songwriting with more balance between the speed (still hyperblast speed), the brutal groove and the melody. Also there's a greater attention to details, with a more "progressive" result. The melodic guitar parts are more fusion jazz style but never cheesy. The drumming is still very fast but less relentlessly, giving more contrast and diversity to the songs.  But what impress me the most is maybe the excellent flow of the vocalist, especially good in the fast parts. If modern technical death is giving birth to more album of this quality I'd be pleased to give it more of my time. I really found this one surprisingly good and enjoyable.

The BC page.

Ingurgitating Oblivion - Vision Wallows in Symphonies of Light (2017)

I'm usually not that much in this kind of stuff and that's why I'm only now discovering Ingurgitating Oblivion, from Germany, with their third album Vision Wallows in Symphonies of Light (on Willotip records). But I'm really glad I discovered it since this album is surprising and very enjoyable. We could say they play some kind of "progressive" death metal, with the more death metal elements, like on the first track, reminding a bit Ulcerate but with less density, more breathing space and melody, while they also includes some fusion jazz guitar playing, vibraphones and piano parts on their more progressive moments. And they do it without sounding ever cheesy, nor boring, it really adds another dimension to the music, an uncanny feel and epicness. Highly recommended!

The Bandcamp page.     

Khtoniiks cerviiks - SeroLogiikal Scars (Vertex of Dementiia) (2016)

SeroLogiikal Scars (Vertex of Dementiia) is the first album of the german trio Khtoniiks cerviiks. Their excellent demo Heptaedrone (that I reviewed HERE) set the expectations on a high level and, even if I miss the raw, barbaric and chaotic feel more present on the demo, I can say I'm not disappointed by the album. Their old school death metal kept it's weird and original character, putting a bit the brutality aside (while staying clearly on the black / death side of metal) helped them pushing their weird sound forward, with a clear techno-thrash flavour (reminding bands like Voivod and Coroner) combined with a bit of more contemporary dissonant elements (evoking the "occult" death metal scene and avant-garde french black metal). We need more bands like them, taking the old school death / thrash metal further onto paths less travelled.

The Bandcamp page.

Beaten To Death - Unplugged (2015)

Was really excited when I read about a new Beaten to death album. Then I get slightly disappointed when I realised that it is not Unplugged as the title would let you think. An unplugged Beaten to death album was a nice concept, perhaps another time? Anyway, my disappointment didn't last for long because this album is as good as was their previous one, Dødsfest! Which means it is absolutely awesome. This is another masterpiece in "technical melodic grind". Which don't happen very often... the only comparison that comes to my mind would be Total Fucking Destruction, for its craziness and unpredictability, wild but played with great technical mastery, but Beaten to death is more polished and, yes, "pop". This is not good just because of its unique and interesting kind. Maybe your first listen will be because you're curious, but then you'll just listen to it because the grind parts are better (and often more brutal and relentless) than most grind and at the same time it's fun and catchy. It's an impressive display of excellency in songwriting and musicianship (but the way the band feature members from Tsjuder and She said destroy).   This is a great album for grindfreaks, but also a great album for everyone (well... except it's way too brutal for most people).

Mandatory listen!

The Bandcamp page 

Antigama - The insolent (2015)

The insolent is the seventh full lenght album of polish grinders Antigama. And this is truly a masterpiece in "math grind". They're often described as "cyber grind" and there is indeed a futuristic element in their sound, but they have a "real" drummer and I think "math grind" is more fitting to describe their music. Grind with sophisticated rythmic patterns and song structures. There's the "mathy" side of their music but it's still grind, even reminding Napalm death, but the most forward thinking Napalm death pushed even forward. There's diversity and surprises in the songs but also in the album, with faster shorter songs and  longer ones with slower, sometimes also more melodic, parts. Unlike many "math" or "technical"rock / metal bands you don't get lost and disconnect after a few songs, they manages to stay "catchy" and at the same time very intense throughout the whole album. A very satisfying album. To be honest I wasn't that much into their music up to now, but I really dig this album and it makes me want to rediscover the rest of their discography. The album is released by Selfmadegod records.

The Bandcamp page.