Greetings, Decibel readers!
Ready for the weekend? Here’s some blackened thrash, death metal, death metal, more death metal, and Perturbator. There, you’re soundtrack is all set.
Enjoy!
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Desaster- Churches Without Saints
Pure blackened thrash force and power! Like their peers in Aura Noir and Nifelheim, Desaster are for those who want to thrash, but want to keep it evil. For decades, the band have been masters at honing a sharp, fist-pumping riff attack, while integrating that special northern darkness to give it a dose of atmosphere.
Stream: Apple Music
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Ghastly- Mercurial Passages
This is what weird, progressive death metal should sound like. Ghastly are very much their own beast in that they’re unafraid to throw strange noises at the listener and go where other bands fear to tread, BUT they keep it raw, dark and brutal at the same time. They achieve what few acts can, being both innovative and memorable. To be honest, the stripped down production might be the skeleton key here. It would be hard to hide bad writing in such a naked light.
Stream: Apple Music
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Inhuman Condition- Rat°God
As our editorial overload said recently, “Kam Lee might have won the battle for the Massacre name, but Terry Butler is likely to win the war of band quality with Inhuman Condition, the new old-school new death/thrash act very much in the vein of classic (i.e. pre-Promise era) Massacre.” For fans of, well, Massacre, and of straightforward death metal in general, this should be at the top of your list for the weekend.
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Necronemesis- Some Things Should Stay Underground
Fun, brutal stuff. This kind of unrelenting death metal is at it’s best with solid, enthusiastic composers at the helm. Necronemesis deliver on all counts: crushing guitar tone, high and low ripping vocals, and drums that pummel you all the way to hell. I also like the double meaning behind the title, representing both whatever monstrous force inspired the album, and the style of music itself.
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Perturbator- Lustful Sacraments
The brightest star in all of synthwave (yes he is, shut up), flares up and goes supernova- transforming into something new altogether. This time, Mr. James Kent has directed his energies toward death rock and post-punk. This gives Perturbator a fresh start, while still mining the all-important decade of the 1980s for those precious rare earth minerals of sound. The vibe is different, but the synths remain the same. Thank goodness.
Stream: Apple Music
