Metallian Heavy

Malaysia-based OBSCURIAL releases Heretic, its second album, in April three years after the debut full-length, Funeral, Burial And Rites.

SEVERE TORTURE has a new album called Torn From The Jaws Of Death through Season Of Mist on June 7th.

Australia-based MIRUTHAN has a demo called Cult Of The Dead.

Germany-based solo metal act BILWIS has an album called Hameln through Northern Silence Productions. The album is described as, “return to the debut EP in terms of songwriting, but with an improved sound.” The concept of BILWIS is of old European fairy tales and myths.

FUNERAL LEECH returns with an album called The Illusion Of Time, which will be available through Carbonized Records in April. The band is at the Honey Moon Coffee Shop in Queens, New York, USA for a listening party on April 5th.

NECROPHOBIC has released a new album, entitled In The Twilight Grey, through Century Media Records. It was produced, mixed and mastered by Fredrik Folkare (UNLEASHED) at Chrome Studio in Sweden.

Superloud is the name of a new album for Germany-based STONE COLD BLACK. The thrash metal band is signed to L.A. Riot Survivor Records.

NEKYIA, featuring LCF’S Saw from ZWIELICHT on vocals, has an EP called An Inward Descent Towards The Singularity… Beyond Damnation’s Wheel through Crawling Chaos Records.

Cor is the second release by black metal project ULTIO. It will be released through Brucia Records on May 23rd. ULTIO is a project by Giorgio Barroccu (DERHEAD) and Cor could be considered a “brother” to The Grey Zone Phobia, DERHEAD’s album of March 2023.

SERPENTS OATH will release its new album called Revelation this month. It was billed for release by Odium Records for November 24th, 2023 initially!

EARTHBURNER, featuring BROKEN HOPE guitarist Jeremy Wagner, has regrouped for its debut album, Permanent Dawn, which was recorded at Criteria Recording Studio and mixed by Scott Creekmore (BROKEN HOPE, PUTRID PILE, MORTA SKULD, etc.). M-Theory Audio has signed EARTHBURNER and will release Permanent Dawn later this year.

Death metal act CHUNKED has signed with Gore House Productions for the digital release of the Inhaling The Infestation EP. The band features Arian Mauk who regularly forms projects.

Portugal-based MONS VENERIS has a new album, entitled Ascent Into Draconian Abyss, which will be released through Signal Rex on May 1st.

Norway-based black metal band LIMBONIC ART has signed a multi-album deal with Kyrck Productions & Armour. The band will release an album soon.

BLAZE OF PERDITION has a new full-length, entitled Upharsin, available through Metal Blade Records in April. The band reports it is a step back from the offbeat direction of its predecessor and is darker. An advance upload is called W Kwiecie Rozłamu (‘In Rupture’s Prime’).

UK-based sludge band TIGGUO COBAUC has a video for the song The Darkest Emperor. It is taken from the A Fountain Of Anguish Is Gone album, which will be released through Trepanation Recordings (UK) and Fetzner Death Records on April 26th.

SIX FEET UNDER will release a new album, entitled Killing For Revenge, through Metal Blade Records on May 10th. Guitarist Jack Owen (ex-DEICIDE and like Barnes ex-CANNIBAL CORPSE) remains in the band.

CANNIBAL CORPSE, MUNICIPAL WASTE, IMMOLATION and SCHIZOPHRENIA have announced a tour for the autumn of 2024 for Europe.

Solo Greek act KVADRAT will issue its debut album, The Horrible Dissonance Of Oblivion, in collaboration with Nuclear Winter Records, Desolate Depths and Total Dissonance Worship, in April. The man uses a drum machine.

The self-cover version trend is in full swing: ONCE UPON THE END has a demo release of new and rerecorded material featuring new singer Ezalyr.

AZAAB, an Islamabad, Pakistan-based death metal act, has a Canadian tour in May. The tour comes in the wake of line-up changes within the band and the departure of the original vocalist who moved to Saudi Arabia for work. The two new members are based in Canada now hence the tour of the country. Additionally Tyson Blaste (PLAGUE. BECOMES ASTRAL, ex-GRINDMOTHER and ex-THE APEX), who is a concert promoter, is filling in on drums.

Sweden-based DÖDSRIT has a new full-length, which is called Nocturnal Will, through Wolves Of Hades.

Creator-Destructor Records will release To Conquer Eternal Damnation, the debut full-length album from Oakland, California, USA-based DARKNESS EVERYWHERE in May. An advance track and video called Retaliation is available now.

Spain-based CHRIST DENIED has a third album after 30 years. It is entitled Christopsy and contains a CRYPTOPSY cover version. The album actually features a drummer, Fabio Grinder (ex–INTERNAL SUFFERING) and is available through Xtreem Music in May.

VATICINAL RITES’ Cascading Memories Of Immortality album is available through Everlasting Spew Records in May.

Sweden-based KVAEN will issue a new album, entitled The Formless Fires, through Metal Blade Records on June 21st.

ROTTING CHRIST’s Pro Xristou album is out through Season Of Mist in May. A song called Saoirse, Gaelic for ‘Freedom,’ is available early.

Crossover band FUTURO PRIMITIVO’s Declive album is out through imprints like Violence In The Veins, Vinilako, Cruzade Records and Minor Label on 30.04.2024. Metallian will update as soon as additional imprints come to light. Llobet’ Puig and Pere Sánchez came together after being in VORTICE earlier. Bassist Carlo Pavia (ex-RVNA and BUEN DESTINO) joined them and ex-VORTICE singer Álex Misas took over the microphone. Last in was Manel Gallego (XMILK and PLASTIDECORE) after Carlo left.

Rude Awakening Records has signed Italy-based death metal act AYDRA. The label is releasing the band’s back catalogue and AYDRA’s new comeback album, which is due on October 10th.

Melbourne, Australia-based deathcore group MÉLANCOLIA is supporting its debut album HissThroughRottenTeeth with a tour of Europe with headliners INGESTED on The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams Tour with FALLUJAH and VULVODYNIA. The band has a music video for the song Dread Will Follow.

FALLUJAH will rerelease The Flesh Prevails as a remastered 10th-anniversary edition through Unique Leader Records in the summer. The band has also announced a 30-date The Flesh Prevails 10th Anniversary North American Tour this summer featuring support from PERSEFONE, VULVODYNIA and DAWN OF OUROBOROS.

Israel-based TOMORROW’S RAIN has an album called Ovdan through AOP Records as of 19.04.2024. The goth/doom band has multiple guest musicians from bands like MAYHEM, THE SISTERS OF MERCY and DARK FUNERAL on the release. MY DYING BRIDE‘s vocalist Aaron Stainthrope was the band’s special guest on stage in 2021 and appeared on the subsequent live album as well.

USA-based PARADOX RIFT has a full-length demo called Ensnared.

Crossover band SUPERMODEL TAXIDERMY has an album called At What Cost on May 31st. It deals with death lyrically. It is issued through Punishment 18 Records. The band has booked a gig in Edmonton for May3rd and Lethbridge, opening for Ripcordz, for August.

Maze Of The Mind is the name for the new BATTLECREEK album, which will be released through MDD Records on April 11. It was recorded by Chris Schmid with artwork created by Andreas Marschall. The song Granvilles Hammer features a guest appearance by Philly Byrne from GAMA BOMB. A video for Knockout In The First Round is available. The group is touring Europe with ANGELUS APATRIDA.

Death metal band SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE has a video for The Infection ahead of the upcoming album, Arkanum. The full-length will be released through Concreto Records on April 12th. Each track is inspired by a different tarot card.

Set to release its debut full-length Vol 1: The Hymn Of The Hunters through Exitus Stratagem Records in June, sci-fi and horror-oriented band VORAATH has announced it will be supporting GORGATRON and CASKET ROBBERY on the Mechanical Necrosis Tour of the USA this summer.

Denmark-based MOTHER OF ALL has a demo called Global Parasitic Leviathan. It “confronts the global power structure.”

Canada-based THE ORDER OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD, a metallic hardcore punk band is uploading songs like Cheaper But Will Do and conducting a mini-tour of Atlantic Canada.

KOSUKE HASHIDA (ex-WORLD END MAN) has an album called Justifiable Homicide through Horror Pain Gore Death. His style is compared to NAPALM DEATH and NASUM.

THE SHEPHERD, featuring the frontman of death’n’roll band BLACKSHEEP, has an album called The Beguiling Mind Games in digital format through Loud Rage Music on April 15th.

In advance of his tour of Europe, VIO-LENCE bassist Christian Olde Wolbers started a GoFundMe page to help with his medical expenses for an emergency surgery. He broke a metal rod that is in his femur and has been on crutches.

DARK TRANQUILLITY will release its next album Endtime Signals through Century Media Records on August 16th. The release date coincides with an appearance at Summer Breeze Open Air in Germany. The act is playing concerts in Turkey, South America and Tunisia in April and May. The album comes with a modified logo. DARK TRANQUILLITY, MOONSPELL, WOLFHEART and HIRAES will tour Europe in late October and November. WOLFHEART, in the meantime, signed with Reigning Phoenix Music and was touring Australia with FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE.

NOCTURNUS AD will release a new album, entitled Unicursal, through Profound Lore Records in May. There is a video for the song CephaloGod. The band is Mike Browning (vocals and drums), Belial Koblak and Demian Heftel (guitars), Kyle Sokol (bass although Daniel Tucker is heard on the album) and Josh Holdren (keyboards).

DARKTHRONE’s It Beckons Us All album will be released through Peaceville on April 26th. It was recorded in the spring of 2023. The album contains clean vocals, clean guitars and miscellaneous instruments.

Rerelease label Dawnbreed Records, in collaboration with Vigor Deconstruct, has a CD of Inanition and Mntu, the 2019 demo and 2021 debut album of Native American extreme act USHANGVAGUSH.

Initially released in April 1997 by Bestial Records on tape, Romania-based DEIMOS’ Insane album will be re-released for the first time on CD through Loud Rage Music this April 8th. The CD version comes with the three tracks of the band’s demo from 1996 as a bonus.

OVERKILL will play 10 concerts on its Scorching Latin America 2024 tour. For the tour, DD Verni will not attend the performances as he is recovering from shoulder surgery. Instead, bass duties will be handled by David Ellefson formerly of MEGADETH.

ANTHRAX has announced that, due to personal reasons, bassist Frank Bello would not be with the band on its upcoming South American tour, kicking off at MXMF the Metal Fest, on April 13 or the US dates in May. Filling in on those dates was ANTHRAX’s founding member and original bassist of 40 years earlier Dan Lilker.

New Zealand-based thrash metal band JUST ONE FIX has uploaded a song called Your Own God Now, which is taken from the forthcoming demo, Submit Or Death.

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER will conduct its first tour of Europe since 2019 this year including performances at Party San, Download, Graspop, Brutal Assault and Summer Breeze. Support for a couple of concerts comes from SUFFOCATION, SHADOW OF INTENT, and DECAPITATED.

Australia-based THE INCANTUS has a full-length and self-titled demo.

Is the band a conservative one? Germany-based thrash metal band EXTINCT will release an album called Incitement Of Violence through MDD Records in April. There is a lyric video for the song Annihilation By Words.

Sweden and Denmark-based thrash metal band BLOOD CHOKE, featuring members from ARTILLERY, SORCERER, DESTROYER 666, NOMINION, DREADFUL FATE and DENIED, has an upcoming release called Kill The Tyrant.

Finland-based HAGALAS has a lyric video for Domesticated Violence, which is taken from the Mentes Reae album. It is available through Inverse Records on 31.05.2024.

BODYFARM has an EP called Malicious Ecstasy through Edged Circle Productions. It features both new and live tracks. The band has also released a video for the song Pervitin.

Folk/black metal band, which was originally from Kyrgyzstan and is based in Germany, DARKESTRAH has a new album through Osmose Productions. It is called Nomad.

Russia-based THE FALL OF CREATION has a single and video called Philosophy Of Being. The video was filmed in a destroyed church.

PATHOLOGY will release a new full-length, called Unholy Descent, through Agonia Records in May. It was recorded and mixed at Sharkbite Studios by Zack Ohren (ABORTED, ALL SHALL PERISH and DECREPIT BIRTH) in June 2023.

Petri Lindroos (ENSIFERUM and WARMEN) and Janne Parviainen (also ENSIFERUM) have a project called SATANIC NORTH. The self-titled debut full-length is available through Reaper Entertainment on April 19th.

Avantgarde Music is releasing Canada-based ULVIK’s Last Rites | Dire Omens (“neo-folk”) and Austria-based VÁSTÍGR’s The Path Of Perdition (black metal) this month.

France-based SCORCHED EARTH has signed with Music-Records and will release The Day Of The Damned debut album in June. The quartet’s music is compared to DEATH.

TRIUMPH OF DEATH, featuring Tom Gabriel Warrior, will perform the music of HELLHAMMER live in Australia this August.

Greece-based DARK AFFLICTION will release its debut album Five Stages Of Grief through Theogonia Records in May. It was recorded and mixed at NoiseBox studio in Patras in 2022.

Groove and metalcore band featuring several tattoo models THE D.O.O.D.has uploaded a song called Subterfuge in anticipation of an album later this year. It is available from SelfMadeRecords L.L.C. and digitally distributed by Earache Records.

FORBIDDEN has announced the first annual OmegAfest for May 4th. It will take place at The UC Theatre in Berkeley, California. Bands booked include BIOHAZARD, FORBIDDEN, WARBRINGER, EXCITER, HATRIOT and BEWITCHER.

JUNGLE ROT is touring Australia and New Zealand followed by Europe in 2024. This includes a stop at Wacken Open Air.

Chile-based death and thrash metal group ANTAGONYZE has its debut album Interpretations Of The Unknown Wilderness out through Chaos Record on 19.04.2024.

Croatia-based thrash and heavy metal band KREMATORIUM will issue a full-length demo, entitled Sinister Seduction, this summer. The band describes it as more heavy metal than its predecessor.

EVILDEAD has an album called Toxic Grace through Steamhammer/SPV as of May 24.

Toledo Death Fest, which takes place in Ohio, USA, has announced the following line-up: OCEANO, THE CONVALESCENCE, VISCERAL DISGORGE, ROSE FUNERAL, CASKET ROBBERY and more.

Power violence and grindcore band FULL OF HELL’s Coagulated Bliss album is out through Closed Casket Activities in April. The band is on the road in April and May with DYING FETUS.

Inspired by KEEL? MÜTIILATION is back and has an album called Black Metal Cult through Osmose Productions.

Canada-based ADVERSARIAL has a first album in almost a decade, called Solitude With The Eternal through Dark Descent Records on 31.05.2024.

TRAILS OF ANGUISH’s two demos, Relentless Abhorrence Of Misery’s Grievance (2001) and Scarred Memento (2003) are compiled into the Scathed Gaping Misery EP by Hessian Firm and available in May.


Metallian Hard

HONEYMOON SUITE has pulled out of its headlining slot at Caribbean Goes 80's Festival in Varadero, Cuba taking place from April 6 to 13. It attributed the cancellation to instrument and logistical problems.

The new line-up of Finnish-Ecuadorean hard rock band BLACK SUN has a song called Slay The Queen. It features singer Netta Laurenne and her husband, the band's producer and THUNDERSTONE guitarist Nino Laurenne.

Sweden-based heavy metal band JD MILLER will release the full-length Empyrean through Mighty Music in May.

FREEDOM CALL has released In Quest Of Love, a single from the upcoming album, Silver Romance, which is out through Steamhammer/SPV on May 10th. The label reports it as “...the most diverse and colorful album in the band’s history.”

WAR GRAVE will release a self-titled debut demo on April 26th. The group features the vocals of singer Roman Kantoch (ex-MORE) and guitarist Stuart Layne (ex-VIRUS). It goes without saying that Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens is a guest. The band has a concert at Devonshire Arms in Camden Town, London, England on April 19th.

LYPSWITCH’s World Of Sin is out through Eonian Records on March 29th. It is an older recording dating back 35 years for the glam band.

MAGNUM singer Bob Catley issued a video on March 7th announcing the band has officially been put to rest. MAGNUM’s guitarist and songwriter Tony Clarkin died in January.

A new QUIREBOYS album, entitled Wardour Street, is available through distributor Cadiz Music. The album is dedicated to Guy Bailey who was the band’s co-founder and guitarist and died last year.

The Spain-based heavy metal band VHÄLDEMAR will release a new album called Sanctuary Of Death through MDD Records in May.

Italy-based heavy metal band ANCILLOTTI has recruited drummer Francesco Jovino (ACCEPT, UDO, PRIMAL FEAR, etc.) to replace departed member Brian Ancillotti who himself is the son and nephew of the two other main members. His departure was due to the traditional “personal reasons.”

Sneakout Records and Burning Minds Music Group have re-signed Italy-based hard rock band ANIMS for the release of a new album, Good ‘n’ Evil. Good ‘n’ Evil is scheduled to be released on May 31st.

Heavy and doom metal trio CASTLE has completed recording a new album, called Evil Remains, at Rain City Recorders in Vancouver, Canada. The band has signed with Hammerheart for its release. The band is touring Europe in September.

PAUL DI'ANNO'S WARHORSE has released an EP called Stop The War through BraveWords Records in advance of a new full-length album. The debut WARHORSE album was recorded in Croatia and the UK during 2022 and 2023 and will be out this year. PAUL DI’ANNO has a mini-tour of the UK this August. GYPSY'S KISS, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, shall open. GYPSY’S KISS was co-founded by IRON MAIDEN's Steve Harris.

IRON MAIDEN, and Mongolian folk band THE HU, will be touring North America in the autumn of 2024.

Producer and musician Roy Z is remixing BRUCE DICKINSON’s Balls To Picasso (1994) and Skunkworks (1996) albums for rerelease.

Spain-based ICARUS DREAM has welcomed back Jesús “Chuchi” Bazo, the original bassist of the band who left in 2017. The bassist spent time in VOODOO TALES, BRIDGE TO NOWHERE and KOVEN.

MARTY FRIEDMAN will release a new album, entitled Drama, through Frontiers Music in May. It was recorded in Italy. The man will be at Jakarta, Indonesia’s Hammersonic 2024 festival. Other bands performing are LAMB OF GOD, AS I LAY DYING, FEAR FACTORY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and NERVOSA.

Good news: the band members were not shot and killed. Sneakout Records and Burning Minds Music Group have issued a video for the song Drive Me Tonight, which is off the last studio album of Italy-based hard rock singer JOHN DALLAS, namely Love & Glory. John states: “The song is about a trip through the American highways…”

ATTACKER has an album called The God Particle through Cruz Del Sur Music on April 12th. A lyric video for the song The Mighty Have Fallen is available. The band is “celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2024.”

Latest trend alert! Every “set” is an anniversary now: IRON SAVIOR is co-headlining a tour with MYSTIC PROPHECY in November. The Hellfire '24 Tour will see both bands, supported by MAD MAX (with a 40th Anniversary set), playing in Switzerland, Germany and The Netherlands.

SCORPIONS’ singer, Klaus Meine has revealed that he underwent a "complex spinal surgery" recently and, as a result, the band has cancelled a planned appearance at Vive Latino Festival in Mexico City on 16.03.2024. The next set of concerts are September’s Love At First Sting Tour 2024 40th album anniversary in Germany.

Coinciding with its 40th anniversary. BON JOVI has a single and video for the song Legendary through Island Records. The song comes in advance of the Forever album arriving on June 7.

MOB RULES has a two-disc compilation called Celebration Day - 30 Years Of Mob Rules. It also contains three new cover versions.

INTRANCED will release its debut full-length album, Muerte Y Metal, through High Roller Records on June 7th. The band features vocalist James-Paul Luna (ex-HOLY GRAIL and WHITE WIZZARD) and guitarist Fili Bibiano (FORTRESS).

Doom metal band PALLBEARER returns with an album called Mind Burns Alive through Nuclear Blast Records in May. Five years in the making, with recording initially slated for 2020, and thwarted yet again in 2022, it was 2023 that saw the band members living locally to one another in Little Rock for the first time in nine years and recording at their newly constructed studio. Temporary Spaces North American Tour launches on June 6th. Openers include RWAKE (June 6 to 9; 29), REZN (June 11 to 29), INTER ARMA (July 11 to August 3) with THE KEENING opening on all dates. The band is also appearing at Stumpfest X on April 11 in Portland, Oregon, The Copenhell Metal Cruise from Oct. 25 to 27 and Nov. 16 at Helldorado in Eindhoven.

POWERWOLF has announced a new album called Wake Up The Wicked for this summer.

Switzerland-based goth/keyboard-laden band HARTLIGHT has a demo called As Above, So Below. The lyric video for The Land Of The Star is for a song that is about “the pilgrimage of Saint-Jacques de Compostelle that alchemists do.”

WITHERFALL has uploaded a song called When It All Falls Away, which is taken from the upcoming demo Sounds Of The Forgotten out through the band’s imprint own label DeathWave Records.on May 31st.

The keyboard damaged SEVEN SPIRES will release a new album, entitled A Fortress Called Home, through Frontiers Music on June 21st. There is a music video for the song Almosttown. There is a European tour with SKÁLMÖLD and ATAVISTIA in March, four North American concerts as support for KAMELOT with AD INFINITUM in April and a headlining Japanese tour with LORDS OF THE TRIDENT in December.

Norway-based progressive band RENDEZVOUS POINT returns with a first new song in five years. It is named Don't Look Up.

Doogie White has left ALCATRAZZ citing scheduling conflict with his solo work. Stepping in for him is the band’s recent producer and songwriter who is also in the again reformed WARLORD, etc. Giles Lavery is billed as filling in for live work.

Germany-based heavy metal band INNER AXIS uploaded a song called Evil Dead from its upcoming album Midnight Forces. The band is on Fastball Music.

Poland-based heavy metal act CRYSTAL VIPER will release an album, called The Silver Key,through Listenable Records on 28.06.2024. The lyrics are again inspired by H.P. Lovecraft.

Germany-based heavy metal band HELL IN THE SKIES has a demo called II.

SONATA ARCTICA has announced a European tour for September and October. Guests on the whole run will be FIREWIND and SERIOUS BLACK.

Canada-based PHAETON played a show in BC on March 29th and is giving a gig in Calgary on April 12th.

KISSIN' DYNAMITE has a new album, entitled Back With A Bang, through Napalm Records in July. it is the successor to the #2 charting Not The End Of The Road from 2022.

Finland-based band AFTER INFINITY has a debut demo through Mauste Records. Being from Finland, the act has keyboards. TUNGSTEN also opens the Scandinavia dates while FIRST STRIKE opens the tour kick off only.

NIGHTMARE has a new album, entitled Encrypted, through AFM Records in June. The band claims this record has moments akin to extreme metal subgenres.

There is one man in this act and he plays the keyboards. Yet, they call it “power metal.” If water is dry and hell is cold then KNIGHTFALL (USA), described as symphonic fantasy power metal, has a debut album called Destiny Calling. The sole member is Keith Dombrowski (ex ANARIA).

SKID ROW and singer Erik Grönwall jointly announced that Erik was leaving the band in March 2024. Friend Lzzy Hale of HALESTORM would be taking over vocal duties for the upcoming scheduled four concerts. The vocalist reported he was not ill, but needed to prioritise his health and could not fulfil the booked dates. He was working on an autobiography.

THOR has a new album called Ride Of The Iron Horse through Deadline Music. THOR reports that a couple of older tracks are included. Flight Of The Striker was originally written in 1987 and includes performances by two members of the old line-up, guitarist Steve Price and drummer Mike Favata. THOR appeared at Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood with guest CHERIE CURRIE. There are two concerts in Western Canada in April.

The lunatic fringe is the Conservative mainstream now.


Metallian Demos

SEVEN SHEEP - THESE CURSED MOORS
Have to disappoint, but only one of the seven (horned) sheep is on the cover. The act is inspired by the moors of Southwestern England/Devonshire. It may be fact that the sheep there are loners and are solitary roamers.
The three tracks in 24 minutes are obviously in no hurry with their basic doom metal simplicity. They are deep and heavy, but instrumental and come letting the drone and distortion do the talking. The pentacle symbolises evil and the band proclaims guidance by “Satan.” It is somewhat surprising then that the vocals, and lyrics, are actually not really missed.
Vixana’s haunting intro settles into a soothing non-metal acoustic segment before unleashing the distortion. Vixana was a witch, who lived in Dartmoor, and the narrator begins the song with the tale of the mischief she would wreak upon travellers. The Hand is like a funeral march. Unfortunately, the guitars drone on with some effect from synthesizers. The spoken word is in the form of an interlude. Well Met At Postbridge, named after a hamlet in the Devon area, begins like the soundtrack to Devonshire’s tourist promotion video before changing wholesale into evil riffing. It then ends with a Candlemass-ish riff. Go to https://sevensheep.bandcamp.com/album/demo-iii-these-cursed-moors. You won’t hear simpler music this year, but it heaps on the distortion and moves at the speed of a sheep at pasture. - Anna Tergel

STORM UPON THE MASSES - CRUSHER OF SOULS
Every demo is being re-released by a so-called label these days. Said labels are pretty worthless. Whether it is just recycling material out of the underground or taking an act’s already recorded material, banding together with three other labels to press 200 CDs, these entities are as useful as a vitamin detector at McDonalds.
This may be why Belgium-based Storm Upon The Masses has gone the indie route. They are not missing anything. This thing has a full length, sounds great and hits like an atom bomb.
Excessive Retaliation begins with a quotation from The Last Mohicans, but before that there is Balrog appearing on the cover. The gigantic frightful demon is a metaphor for the band’s crushing music. Sifting through the crunchy sound, the brutal slamming death, the deep vocals, ripping guitars and impressively distorted bass, what attracted my attention right away was the hefty bass drums, which for once is less clicky than the average rattling sound of today’s kick drums. The same can be said of the heavy snare sound. Nice. No pots and pans when storming the masses. Then the band has the bulldozer heavy riffs and the tsunami of speed for an impressive concoction. The boys mix both to good effect inclusive of the delicious time changes. The distorted bass is sometimes reminiscent of the bass from Kataklysm’s Sorcery. Unleash The Demonic Surge does exactly that and again those blast beats and that bass sound! The title track is brilliant and wipes the floor with 100 Amaranthe fans. See that process depicted in the lyric video for the song Murderous Exhibition. Cauldron Of Carnage is for speed fans. Warfare Ungodly has a comparable riff to Cauldron… and, yup, similarly goes for the jugular.
Everyone contributes to this slab of deathly Belgian brutality, but the drums are somehow the star of this show. It is nothing promiscuous and sticks to the confines of metal; just insanely meaty, deathly and brutal. Despite the growls, the vocalist is not difficult to understand and could often be made out. This release is an impressive blasting effort from these former hardcore musicians and not to mention the band knows a thing or two when it proclaims, "Brutal death metal from Belgium is better than music.” - Ali “The Metallian”