Doomed For Metal Reviews

Corpsefucking Art is a death metal band from Rome, Italy who formed in 1996. “ Tomatized ” is their sixth full-length album; They have also released a demo, EP, Split and a live album. “ Tomatized ” is a fun, brutal blast of a death metal album. Wait, a minute…did I say fun?  I thought death metal was supposed to be horror drenched, abrasive and against the grain of good taste? It is and this album checks off all those boxes. But it's also an album that embraces the odd and doesn't concern itself at being taken too seriously, at least in terms of lyrical content But make no mistake: the musicians are deadly serious. Across the blistering 9 song 29 minute runtime, a cacophony of rhythm prowess and gutturals rip through the decayed atmosphere. The bass and drums standout just as much as the guitars. Massive swaths of pummeling grooves highlight the tumultuous songs.  Both the production and instrument tone are exactly how I like it: raw but still with enough clarity to allow th...

Bile Caster is a UK based doom/sludge metal band who formed in 2019. “ Writhing Between Birth and Death ,” is their debut EP; they have also released a demo and a split. The EP contains three songs at just under 30 minutes runtime so it has a decent amount of material. Regardless, it's always quality not quantity and this EP is nothing but killer extreme doom from the first second to the last. Musically, it is centered around the slow tempo and thick, cavernous riffs of death doom.  But the tone of the instruments captures the abrasiveness of sludge. The combining of these two styles results in songs that are deep and dark but extremely biting.   The vocals are fantastic and some of the best I’ve heard in this second half of 2024.  The low growls have just the right amount of echo, as if the vocalist is crying out in torment from some cavern far below the earth. Each song is longer than the one before it, a detail that I found intriguing; it felt as if I was really ...

Kanonenfieber is a blackened death metal band from Germany who formed in 2020.  Although there is an anonymous live line-up, the band is actually a one-man project from a musician known only as Noise .  “ Die Urkatastrophe ,” is the project’s second full-length album; three EPs and a live album have also been released.  Kanonenfieber is one of the most interesting concepts in the modern extreme metal scene.  Their brand consists of a highly convincing mixture of death and black metal.  It is balanced pretty damn good, not leaning too far into either side except when needed.  It’s also razor sharp and focused, offering the band up as one of the heaviest and abrasive out there right now.  Their subject matter is of great interest to me—War World I, perhaps because my last name (Wittenmeier)  is of German descent).  I’ve always maintained that WWI had to be one of the most horrific wars in history, if not the most.  Weapons such as machine ...

Invernoir is a Gothic doom/death metal band from Rome, Italy.  They formed in 2016 and their latest album, “ Aimin’ For Oblivion ” is their second full-length album; they also released an EP in 2018. “ Aimin’ For Oblivion ” is an extremely well written album that is captivating from start to finish.  Its moody atmosphere is brought to life with rich, full Gothic influences. Melding perfectly into this tapestry of macabre musings is a firm grip on dark and deep death/doom.  The result is an album that is as haunting and emotional as it is heavy and abrasive.  However, it isn’t heavy in an aggressive way.  It’s the layered emotions, the shades of gray that rest upon each other to create this special kind of oblivion.  To me, that’s as heavy as anything in the universe, and certainly rivals even the most extreme music I could ever find.  The production is one of the many highlights that make the album standout so late in the year.  It sounds amazing...

Deathless Void is a death/black metal band from the Netherlands, who  hit the scene a couple years ago with their debut demo.  Now they are back with their debut full-length album, “ The Voluptuous Fire of Sin .” And what an album it is!  It sounds absolutely evil…I mean, this album is just drenched with everything that once made people so afraid of the extreme genres of metal.  The overall atmosphere is hellish wrapped up in nonstop bloodletting. However, what makes the album so goddamn fantastic is that it isn’t self-absorbed in its extremity.  It doesn’t exist for the sole sake of carnage but, rather,  uses its black and death metal roots as just another tool in its songwriting arsenal.  It is a far more dynamic album than what a lot of extreme artists can pull off yet it’s so focused that listening to it will increase your heart rate.  Dangerous yet smartly written?  Yes, please.  This album demands multiple listens because to fully...

  Marche Funèbre is a death/doom band from Belgium, who formed in 2008.  This band has grown into one of my favorite doom bands in recent years.   I’m somewhat late in that respect, as I didn’t discover them until 2017’s “ Into The Arms of Darkness .”    I was fortunate to be able to review their 2020 album “ Einderlicht ” for Metal Temple; I gave it high marks. Flash forward four years and they have graced us with their fifth full-length album, “After The Storm.”   Not only is it a step up from “ Einderlicht ” but it’s also the best album they have done so far—and that is certainly speaking volumes! Their mastery over combining big, sledgehammer heavy riffs with sorrowful yet strangely beautiful melodies has grown exponentially over the years but on “ After The Storm ,” the band hits their stride, surpasses it, and pushes the band into a whole new level.  The production must be praised…it has a huge sound, nearly bottomless.  Despite how depressi...

Blighted Eye is an extreme metal band from Seattle, Washington. They formed in 2019 and released their debut EP the following year. Their new release, “ Agony's Bespoke ” is their debut full-length. Their members come from an impressive background, to say the least. Bassist Ben and guitarist/vocalist Kyle are from progressive/tech death band Aethereus . Guitarist Christopher (ex- Terra Morta ) and drummer John ( Mesmur , Pantheist ) round out the rest of the band.  “ Agony's Bespoke ” has a huge sound that covers a wide variety of styles. Black, death and large does melodic textures find a place within the albums 1 hour runtime. Even elements of doom and prog ate integrated.  You could think of the album as a jack of trades but instead of being a master of none…it absolutely nails everything. Some might scoff at such a runtime but it certainly doesn’t feel like an hour.  In fact, each song is filled with so many hooks that the album glides on thru with ease.  ...

Firtan is a black metal band from Germany, who formed in 2010. Their latest album, “ Ethos ” is their fourth full-length album; they have also released two EPs. Firtan have always strived to honor black metal while still willing to step outside its confines. That has never been more apparent than with the epic sonic journey that is “ Ethos .” It's absolutely incredible just how well these songs are crafted. They are atmopsheric and melodic but not floaty or overly etheral; there is some real meat on these hooks. Even as its most adventurous, the album  remains rooted in the carnage aand ervor of the blackened arts. “ Ethos ” is a statement from the band and it spoke to me with its musical musings. What is says to me is that it is possible to push the genre forward with new ideas without losing what makes it great to begin with. Clean notes drape over the opening of the first song “ Hrenga ” like light filtering through a dim display. It isn't a warm light but a dismal one th...

Legions of Doom is a doom metal band born from the tragic passing of doom metal legend Eric Wagner ( The Skull , Trouble , Blackfinger ).  The material on this debut album, “The Skull 3,” is from what would have been on The Skull ’s third full-length album but realized in a different form. After getting the blessing of the Eric ’s family, The Skull guitarist Lothar Keller and Bassist Ron Holzner ( Trouble ) welcomed drummer Henry Vasquez ( Saint Vitus , Pentagram , Blood of the Sun ), guitarist Scott Little ( Leadfoot ), vocalists Karl Agell ( Lie , Heavy , Leadfoot , COC , Patriarchs In Black ) and Scott Reagers ( Saint Vitus ).   If you’re familiar with The Skull , then Legions of Doom will find a place in your collection as well.  It’s low, slow, and heavy.  As I always ask, when it comes to doom metal, what more could you possibly ask for? “ The Skull 3 ” acts  as both a loving tribute to Eric but also as an example of his everlasting legacy.  ...

ÇÖKÜŞ is a doom/heavy metal band from Chicago who are new to the scene.  They have burst forth from the underground metal scene with their debut full-length album “ An Hour of Lies .” The band may be new but the members themselves are veterans of the scene, as they are made up from former members of Earthen Grave.  In addition, the members also found themselves in a variety of bands, including Vanishment , Lair of the Minotaur , Witchcryer , and The Living Fields .  In addition, they are joined by bassist Patrick Green and guitarist Steve Ligeza ( Torg , Makahiya ).   Although it’s definitely rooted in a more traditional version of doom metal, I can hear some “grunge” influences as well.  It’s a rather compelling listen, they use their various influences well and create a sound all their own.  Oh, and the album is stuffed to the gills with kick ass riffs.  Despite their doom foundation, they don’t always play slow either so there are more than a f...

Hammerfilosofi is a black metal band, whose members hail from both Norway and Italy.  The duo formed in 2020 and made their debut last year with their full-length “ The Desolate One .”  A year later and they are back with another powerful statement in the form of the ep “ Solus ( Igne Natura Renovator Integra )”.   Consisting of four songs and a runtime of 25 minutes, there is quite a bit of content to explore here. Each song is multi-layered, requiring multiple listens to absorb every nightmarish detail.  Fortunately, these sprawling songs are held together by exemplary songwriting so replaying this frightening beast over and over again isn’t a problem. According to the press release I received, the band wants to “musically and conceptually bring back some of that rebellious pride, wrath, and danger that for us are mandatory ingredients in black metal.”  The band definitely accomplishes this. The music on this album shrouds itself in the element of dange...

Solitary is a UK thrash metal band that formed in 1994.  “ Embrace The Darkness ” is their fifth full-length album. Over the years they have also released three demos, two EPs, two live albums, a compilation,  and a split. I’ll be completely honest:  thrash metal is my least listened to genre.  It isn’t that I don’t like it; on the contrary, my formative years in discovering my taste were very much thrash oriented.  Everything from the classic bands like Megadeth and Anthrax to more modern heavy weights like Dew Scented and The Haunted could be found in my collection.   But over the years it seems thrash has lost its bite.  The old guard can’t keep up and a lot of the new bands seem to be doing it “paint by numbers.”  But the exact moment I pushed play on this promo, everything I thought I knew about the direction of the genre changed.  What is this?  A band that has been around for a while that still has it?  Has the venom a...

Sanctuarium is a death metal band from Barcelona that formed in 2021.  It originally was a one-man band, that man being Marc Rodriguez .  But he added additional members and, after a demo and a split album with Magick Howl , released their debut album, “ Into The Mephitic Abyss .”  The band is firing on all cylinders, wasting little time and dropping their second full-length album, “ Melted and Decompose d.”  This album is absolutely FILTHY.  The five long songs spend 48 minutes doing exactly what the album’s title offers.  As these cavernous, often doom-inspired, leviathans of decayed music atrocities lumber their way through, they break down, destroy completely, and let the pain just fester until nothing is left but a rotten husk of what once was a living creature.   While the album certainly embraces aesthetics of death/doom, it doesn’t seek to stay slow and stalking all the time.  A variety of tempos await in these deep cesspools of human...

Distant Dominion is a new extreme metal band that hits hard and fast with their blazing debut album, “ Ripping Through Time .”  The band might be new but its members have years of experience in such bands as Krieg , Rumpelstiltskin Grinder , Polterchrist , Mortal Decay and others. But “ Ripping Through Time ,” isn’t just another run-of-the-mill extreme metal experience.  I have discovered this album is a well-crafted death machine that offers a lot more variety than the average extreme metal album.  It has just enough of a technical flair to add a flashy pedigree to the void it so viciously spits out.  It’s fast like thrash but wrapped up in a death metal extremity and the destitute, raw atmosphere of the bleakest black metal.   As if that wasn’t enough, there is clearly an influence from classic metal and a firm grasp on incorporating melody within these charred walls of chaos. The album is mastered by Dan Swanö , so of course it sounds absolutely amazing...

I’m not sure what a Moose Cult is.  Is this a cult of moose that gather in their black masses?  Or is it a group of humans who are obsessed with Moose?  Or maybe it is a new kick ass doom band? Well, it may be one of the first two but it’s definitely the last one.  Born out of the pandemic after writing a lot of riffs, Jonny Moose (oh ok, that’s where the name comes from) joined forces with members of Monsterworks , Thūn , Smokescreen and Bull Elephant to release Moose Cult ’s sophomore album, “ Book of the Machines .”   I’m not familiar with any of these bands except for the excellent Bull Elephant but that is enough of a pedigree to warrant me checking out this album, though I haven’t had time to dive into their debut just yet.   “ Book of the Machines ,” is quite the dynamic album!  It embraces a death/doom sound but also incorporates more traditional doom elements as well.  It’s melodic when it needs to be, bulldozer heavy at o...