Not Hour of Penance. They have at least a few more thoughts on their chests that need to be shared, the culmination of which is Sedition, the latest blast of frenzied and unrelenting death metal from the heathen horde. And with the short instrumental album opener aside, they feel the urge to deliver it as forcefully and as violently as they possible can.

With a powerful production akin to the likes of Behemoth (it’s loud!), Sedition roars it’s unholy message with a clean and layered sound. “Enlightened Submission” really gets things going with an eruption of blasting drums that just don’t quit and memorable guitar work. Vocally, Pieri is right up there with some of the best growlers today, slinging the band’s message with depth and vitriol, shifting his cadence in perfect time with the rumbling rhythm section. “Decimate the Ancestry of the Only God” delivers a decent bit of groove that weaves amongst the technical riffage and searing leads while “Fall of the Servants” unleashes a hellish blast of mayhem with unrelenting blasts staggered rhythms.

It is “Ascension,” however that really marks the peak of the album with not only an appropriately titled track, but also one of the more developed structures on the album. It’s also got a fairly catchy chorus that’s just begging you to growl along with. Piras leaves his mark on the album with outstanding work on “Sedition Through Scorn” as he stop/starts with destructive precision. The album ends strong and rather abruptly with the powerful “Blind Obedience.”

Despite Seditions’s polish and fullness (and loudness), there’s still room for improvement. Granted this is the first album with half the band freshly recruited and there are moments where it’s unrelenting delivery is just what the doctor ordered, but the album could do with a few more shifts in momentum to vary up the songs. Other than that, I have no qualms with the latest from Hour of Penance — they deliver the goodd with plenty of force and aggression.

Whether it’s the 40+ minute single track of Worshipers of the Seventh Tyranny and it’s progressive influences or the loose, rushed feel of their last EP, Advent of…, it feels as though the band is in search of something they’ve lost. In an attempt to rediscover that missing element, Impiety may have gone a step too far in the opposite direction with their latest slab of “bestial war metal,” the band’s eighth studio album, Ravage & Conquer.

Leaning heavily on their more extreme and brutal side, the band unleashes eight tracks of vicious blackened death metal that rarely lets up off of the accelerate right from the get go. Normally, I’d have no problem with this, but after the past two releases, it feels like a panicky leap back into the familiar. A rather poor production (clicky drums and distant, flat guitars) certainly doesn’t help the matter any either.

“Revelation Decimation” not only gets the album going, but it pretty much outlines very violently what you’re in store for during the remaining seven songs. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for devastating and unrelenting metal just like the next guy and Ravage & Conquer more than delivers the goods — albeit on the sloppy side, which of course has always been one of the hallmarks for the band. At least they’ve got that part of their identity back. Impiety definitley knows how to play on the edge of being too loose and just loose enough to give that impression of complete mayhem. The rest of the album follows suit.

Like I said, this album ain’t horrible, but it’s not the Impiety of old. They’re making progress on finding themselves and this latest mass of aural assaults is pretty goddamned brutal, but I’ll just throw on Terroreign, thanks.

When something (a consumer product, a band, whatever) becomes so recognizable to be considered a brand, that’s a testament, in this case, to the musicians that have made Cannibal Corpse the top-selling band of all time within the death metal genre. When you’re considered a brand, your fans expect you to sound a certain way, to present yourself a certain way and to live up to those ideals fully. Anything less is unacceptable. A brand has to deliver the goods consistently and, to a degree, in a pre-conceived vision that your fans look forward to with maniacal fervor. What I’m trying to say, is that when a new Corpse album is released, you can pretty much guarantee, with fairly accurate certainty, what it’s going to sound like — vicious death metal, solid production and just as solid musicianship — for better or worse.

Torture isn’t a simple rehashing of concepts past, but it does fit nicely into the formula this band has used to become as successful as they have. From the bludgeoning rhythms of Mazurkiewicz and bassist Alex Webster to the shredding riffs of guitarists O’Brien and Barrett to the distinct growls/screams of George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, Torture is exactly what we want when hitting “play” on a Cannibal Corpse album. Sure the band could have settled into the familiar and just vomited out some generic music that simply sold records, but that would be counter to what their brand is know for. Just check out the unrelenting, ferocious album opener, the appropriately titled “Demented Aggression.”

From that point on, you know what you’re in store for with the remaining eleven songs. “Sarcophagic Frenzy” has a twisted second half that can’t be missed. “Encased in Concrete” has a solid bit of thrash in the mix and a sick solo to kick things off nicely. “As Deep As The Knife Will Go” has a catchy chorus and chugging gallop while the slower paced “Intestinal Crank” sounds like just that, having your innards ripped out through your naughty parts. “Rabid” has it’s throttle pegged to the floorboard the whole time and album closer, “Torn Apart” sums up the whole experience nicely with manic drums and twisting riffs.

All in all, Torture more than lives up to the brand of Cannibal Corpse. It doesn’t push boundaries, but it entertains to the fullest with everything we’ve come to love and expect from these guys.

“Vile Affliction” gets the severed heads rolling with barbaric drums and buzzing riffs as the growls come into play. I love the sound of this album. It’s pretty lo-fi, rough and reminds me of all the old school shit I used to listen to growing up. Nocturnal Torment have the sound down perfectly throughout the album as they smoothly jump from rolling rhythms to blasting outbursts of demented mayhem. I love the aggressive and frenzied vocal attack, as well as the sick solos that the band lob about like live hand grenades.

Each track, from the vicious “Cycle of Life” (love the intro bass in this one, by the way) to slower, yet no less evil title track, is delivered powerfully and with a solid intent to cause bodily damage. I love the varied drum work on “Fresh Flesh Fetish,” along with its catchy title, as well. The opening series of riffs on “Bleeding” are memorable and tinged with a cold edge, as well as the solid, chunky riffs that fill the latter half of the song. The martial patterns of “Forever Eternal Darkness” are a nice change of pace from the rest of the album, as the bass rumbles in the background, before the guys get technical with their riffs — it’s one of the more unique songs on the album and one of my favorites.

“Primordial Existence” wraps up They Come at Night quite well with pummeling rhythms, solid guitar work and a slightly slowed tempo (that the guys rip to shreads every now and again). It sums up Nocturnal Torment’s debut effort nicely. This is one of those albums that may not blow you away the first time, but give it a few listens and it will violently burrow itself deep within your skull.

This band of miscreants (featuring ex-Pungent Stench growler Martin Shirenc) uses a blend of OSDM and modern death metal to regurgitate what I can only assume is text pulled verbatim from Zombie 101: Book on Total Planetary Annihilation (I totally made that up). At times punishingly up tempo and at others bludgeoning and crawling, A Dreadful Decease is one of those albums that you just throw on at any old time, sit back and enjoy the show. Of course, the band would be remiss if they didn’t include the obligatory movie sound byte here or there — they do so, but sparingly so as to not become too much of a cliche.

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we. “The Chaosbreed” leads off with a short clip announcing the dead have begun to return to life before settling into a mass of churning riffs ultimately ramping up the tempo to a decent clip as the vocals come in. It’s quickly followed by “Deadtribe Sinister” and “Challenge of the Undead,” both of which use a solid helping of modern death metal to describe the rampant spread and grouping of the undead as they strike fear in the hearts of the breathing.

The act of consuming the living’s flesh, innards and ooey gooey brains are outlined in the triad of the groove-filled “We Must Eat!” (which also features some great lyrics, by the way), the monolithic bludgeon of “Bloodrain Overdose,” and the violently awesome “Grim Brutality.” Between those three songs, all hell literally breaks loose as the zombies rip, tear and feed on the panicked populace, oh, and the band destroys your ears with massive riffs and thundering drums.

The final set of songs (tracks 8 – 10) describe in exacting detail the end of the living as the undead swarm the continents. “Horror Fills this Hollow Earth” couldn’t have a better title. The track is full of familiar riffs and bruising drum work that will have you snapping your undead neck in no time. The title track starts off with a frenzied bit of guitar work and plenty of double bass before the guys settle into a galloping groove. Closing out the album is “Planet Zombie,” and you can pretty much guess what that means — the living are no more.

The Dreadful Decease is one of those albums that’s a little tongue-in-cheek, but also serious enough to not come across as goofy. Zombie, Inc. are determined to deliver a solid helping of death metal solely focused on the undead. I think they’ve done quite well, since I’ve been spinning this album for a couple of weeks now.

That all said, Step Into Damnation is a faithful homage to the the bands of my youth. Think Autopsy, Cianide and even the one-release Disincarnate (Dreams of the Carrion Kind is still an awesome album to this day) and you’ve pretty much got Funeral Whore’s number. Is it complete aping on their part? No, not really. They bludgeon their way through solid riffs and barbaric rhythms nicely. I would just like a little more variation amongst the crushing death metal they sling.

I’d like to pinpoint a couple of stand out tracks, but to tell you the truth, they are all pretty solid — a little messy here and there, but for the most part they are all decent jams. The problem, as already stated above, is that after the fourth or fifth track we’ve already heard what’s presented on the remaining half of the album. Step Into Damnation certainly makes me reminisce about the early nineties as I was cutting my teeth on cassettes from Cancer, Pestilence and the likes and that does this rotten heart good. But man, let’s throw a curve ball in there guys.

So, if you’re in the mood for a throw-back album with a full and dense sound that will remind you of death metal’s heyday then this is the disc for you, as long as you don’t mind having it on in the background while you focus on something else. At least the album shows some promise as to what we may expect from Funeral Whore in the future.

Just like the band’s first release, Rise, Vulcan Spectre is, for the most part, and full on assault on your cerebral region. Blasting drums and driving riffs delivered with a similar old school aesthetic pummel and bludgeon their way to your very core. The rough production fits the band’s sound perfectly and is a throw back to times when music like this was supposed to be ugly. Was supposed to be gritty and raw. Well, this sophomore effort from Nekromantheon is certainly damned ugly — in a good way.

“Cast Down to the Void” starts things off with a vibe like that of Sepultura’s Morbid Visions/Bestial Devestation EP (cassette) that I picked up back in 1990. It’s raw, unfiltered and makes me smile like a gleeful serial killer who has just successfully stalked down his fifth victim. The brutal thrash these guys play is infectious and gets in your head quicker than you could get into Lindsey Lohan’s pants. Ok, maybe not that quickly, but you get the idea.

“Coven of the Minotaur,” much like most of the album is straightforward, vicious thrash that’s played with little pretence. These guys just want to thrash and thrash harder and dirtier than any one else. And do they ever. The title track is a prime example as it plunders your skull with chainsawing guitars and an unrelenting, methodical tempo. “Twelve Depths of Hades” slows things down a bit, but is no less evil or destructive. It’s got some sick drum work and malevolent vocals as the guitars twist and turn. “Raised by Dogs” closes out another solid helping of gritty, violent thrash like a champ. It starts off slowly as it builds to a frenzied pace around the one minute mark (punctuated by a raw scream).

Much like the music found on the band’s debut effort, Rise, Vulcan Spectre is full of unstoppable thrash delivered through a blood-stained wood chipper large enough to engulf your lifeless corpse easily. These guys play hard. They play fast. And they don’t do anything else that would get in the way of their nasty thrashing mayhem. It’s bands like this that continue to reaffirm my faith in metal.

The first thing you notice on the opening track “Feast of the Damned” — besides the absolutely frenzied aural attack — is that the guitars aren’t quite as buzzed out as previous albums. Thanks to Kurt Ballou and his GodCity Studios, the sound is crisper yet not over produced and so much more forceful and intense. Sure Black Breath still carry the Entombed flag high, but the production is a bit cleaner for the better. I love the drum tone and position in the mix throughout this album. It’s in your face without completely overtaking every other member’s spot. An increased element of gang/group shouts is an awesome touch to many of the songs giving you an opportunity to growl along with the band.

Enough technical crap, let’s get to the music.

The title track builds slowly for a brief moment before absolutely pulverizing your cranium with barbaric drum work and thundering base. Holy hell this song shreds. “Forced Into Possession” is already a frenzied and ferocious attack, but the barbaric pounding of the drums around the 1:31 mark as the guitars step aside gets me pretty damned amped. “Home of the Grave” settles things into a steady, chugging groove that gives you an opportunity to catch up after the opening triad of tracks. The guitars to this track could have been pulled off of Entombed’s Stranger Aeons EP. “Endless Corpse” is the first time on this album that we hear the guys start to experiment with their own sounds. Atmospheric and bleak, the song starts off slowly, building over the first minute and a half to a huge scream and frenzied attack of whirling drums and feral riffage.

I hope you didn’t get to comfortable with the slower presentation of “Endless Corpse” as the next song up, “Mother Abyss” is one of the more aggressively delivered tracks you’ll hear on this album while “Of Flesh” is one of the catchier, more infectious — it’s chorus is just begging for you to scream along with. The combo of those two tracks may be the strongest on the disc.

Closing up this ferocious sophomore release (what slump?) is “Obey,” the most experimental and atmospheric song on Sentenced to Life. It shows that the band is capable of so much more and could be a hint of some things we could expect in future releases. As it stands, however, Sentenced is the band’s strongest album to date. It delivers the goods forcibly and with an extreme amount of intensity. I haven’t been able to review any other albums since putting this one in the stereo.

The ten songs on this latest release are so much more furious than previous material, yet it’s not a full-on, full throttle attack 24/7. Goatwhore show a solid measure of maturity in crafting songs that vary in pace and tempo — songs that are more engaging than albums past. At one minute you’ll be bludgeoned by pile-driving rhythms and then next caught in sludgy, grooves at a moderate clip. Vocally, lead growler Falgoust, is as powerful as ever, often throwing down with guitarist Sammy Duet on a few songs.

Album opener, “Collapse in Eternal Worth” let’s you know immediately that Goatwhore aren’t fucking around with Blood for the Master. It explodes out of the gate with a ferociously paced tempo and a blackened guitar attack. The band continues with their trademark sound and presentation with the awesomely titled “Parasitic Scriptures of the Sacred Word.” It’s a song that is as catchy as they come with head-banging rhythms and memorable vocal patterns. “Embodiment of This Bitter Chaos” is an example of the band branching out a bit with an atmospheric start (soaring guitar and acoustic together) before launching head first into the mosh pit with thrashing riffs and thundering groove.

The first half of the album is a bit more cohesive and memorable, but songs like “Death to the Architects of Heaven” in the latter half are pretty damned bludgeoning in their own right, injecting moments of harmony into the mix to keep things interesting. The album closer has some nice drum work throughout as the band shift from blackened death to thrash and back again a few times while delivering their message.

Goatwhore may not be the most innovative band in the metal realms, but there’s no denying just how addictive their albums can be. Catchy, pulverising and down right fun, Blood for the Master will seep into your very soul begging for another spin in the stereo. You’ve been warned.

Yup, melody.

“But melody doesn’t belong in grind-core,” I hear you say and, for the most part, I would agree with you. There’s no melody to be found from the likes of Wormrot or the now-defunct Insect Warfare. Well, there’s some here in Xes and Strokes and it sort of works too.

Bordering on indie-rock at times, Beaten to Death take grind-core to areas that it hasn’t necessarily been to before. “Pointless Testament” starts off typically enough for a grind song with plenty of reverb and distortion and thundering drums, but it doesn’t take long for you to notice something a little different — the chugging groove that arrives along with the dual vocals is a solid clue. It’s not until after the rumbling bass of “Winston Churchill,” though, that we first hear elements of melody leak into the band’s sound.

As the short album progresses, the group introduces more and more melody into each subsequent song. “A Soulless Alarm” starts off fairly mildly with a bit of an atmospheric vibe to the guitars as the rhythm section arrive to blast as furiously as they can — and let’s not forget the string arrangement that shows up toward the end. The ridiculously titled “Cat Olympics” is all over the place with melody peppered amongst the frantic blasts and the ebb and flow of “Groundhog Day” is an interesting touch as the band injects some early Helmet perhaps into the mix.

Xes and Strokes is not an album for everyone. I’m still not totally sold on it, but much like Liberteer’s Better to Die on Your Feet than Live on Your Knees it’s all about pushing your buttons until you either finally snap into a fit of rage and destroy the stereo from which this music is coming or accept it for what it is, genre-pushing extreme metal. I haven’t personally made up my mind just yet.