As you can see, this split release brings together 8 bands from the black and death metal underground. The first 4 are from Door County, while the other 4 are international. The 62-minute disc starts with the super raw black metal sounds of Abamath. The one-man black metal entity led by M. (all instruments and vocals) hails from Forestville and showcases their cold musical destruction with the song called "Malice". The second track is reserved for Beetlegork, a 3-piece heaviness from Northeastern Wisconsin. Their song "Bongload of Lungbutter" has a definite heavy sound and represents for us what they call cosmic metal. Then comes Pemphigus from Sturgeon Bay. The trio presents us with two songs, namely "A Link to the Past" and "Sister Dismay", both done in the good old death metal way, reminiscent of early Autopsy and Death stuff. The Crypt from Fish Creek unleashes hell with the following two tracks. Their first song is called "Bûnbak", with lyrics in Hungarian and a rather experimental death metal approach. It's about some really wicked vocals and lots of blast beat orgies. Their second composition is "Вихор Времена", with lyrics in Serbian. There are some very groove-oriented guitar riffs, abstract atmospherics and even female vocals, just to make their music even weirder. The 7th song is called "Fekete Víz" and is performed by Bál from Hungary. This one-man band is deeply focused on the atmospheric and cold aspects of post black metal. Then there's a super long and exotic black metal track called "Quantum Pai-De-Santo", performed by Conrad from Barbados. The almost 14-minute song certainly sounds strange to me, but the fact that they are from Barbados and play black metal was perhaps even stranger to take note of. But they are very good at experimental black metal, that's for sure. Poland's Martyrland continue to explore the weirdness within the boundaries of black metal. In "Biesy Ludu Slowa" you will find some really unusual and innovative solutions that I warmly recommend you to check out. The last and 10th song of this compilation is by the Polish band Teufelschloss. Needless to say, they also play a kind of experimental music, which is probably the closest to post black metal. Their cut is called "Our Breath – Cold", and it's a pretty atmospheric piece overall. The burned CD comes with a 12-page booklet containing the lyrics and minimal information about all the artists. I think you can order this split release from any of the above bands, but ask first!

This release is a real treasure for all Assassin fans, and the fact that it appeared completely unexpectedly makes it even more valuable. "Outer Space Death" contains a total of 17 songs and has a playing time of 66 minutes. The contents of the CD relate exclusively to songs from the band's second full-length album, "Interstellar Experience" (1988). Tracks 1-8 were recorded live in the studio in 1987, and believe me, these songs are truly outstanding in terms of sound quality. So I'm more than confident that Assassin fans will enjoy these eight pre-production songs, titled "Junk Food", "Abstract War", "Damned World", "A Message to Survive", "Resolution 588", "A.G.D.", "Pipeline" and "Interstellar Experience". Then there are 6 rehearsal tracks from 1987, namely "Strange World", "A Message to Survive", "Junk Food", "Interstellar Experience", "Resolution 588" and the instrumental version of "Abstract War". These definitely sound pretty raw with that special 80s charm, so there's nothing to complain about. The last 3 tracks of the CD were recorded live in Lambsheim, also in 1987. These are "Junk Food", "Abstract War" and "A Message to Survive". It's a slightly chaotic performance, but it's pretty cool nonetheless. As you might guess, the band's line-up on all these recordings was as follows: Robert Gonnella (vocals), Dinko Vekic (guitar), Michael Hoffmann (guitar), Markus Ludwig (bass) and Frank Nellen (drums). This CD edition comes with a slipcase and a huge 24-page booklet. In addition to lots of band and live photos, concert posters, ads, some magazine interviews and a list of gigs, there is also a retrospective article with Dinko about the member changes, the logo transformation, the cover artwork change and its concept, and lots of other great information. So needless to say, this is a collector's item for all dedicated Assassin fans worldwide!!!

"Ravage of Empires" is Benediction's 9th studio album to date. Formed in 1989, and I think it goes without saying that the band is known and respected worldwide, not only among death metal fans, but also in the metal community as a whole. So these absolute iron-willed veterans are back with a new album of their unique brand of death metal, and it may sound corny, but they are stronger than ever! On "Ravage of Empires" the successful formula used on the previous album, "Scriptures" (2020), was repeated to the maximum, which also marked the glorious return of Dave Ingram. The only minor change is on bass, with Nik Sampson now playing the thick strings. So the 11 songs on the new album are pretty much a logical continuation of the "Scriptures" album, with the same approach in terms of songwriting, sound and mood. The riffmasters Peter Rew and Darren Brookes certainly ensured the album's success with their most groove-driven and catchy guitar work, while Giovanni Durst's second album with the band features 47+ minutes of his usual super-solid drumming and tasty drum fills. To top it all off, Scott Atkins delivers a punchy sounding production that is incredibly captivating from start to finish. The most memorable tracks on the album are "Engines of War", "Crawling over Corpses" and "Ravage of Empires", but the rest of the songs are also smashingly good and represent old school death metal at its best. This is an incredibly fantastic album that will not disappoint death metal fans, that's for sure! Remember, Benediction is like good wine, the older the better, so what we get from the quintet is death metal magic refined to perfection, deep respect and hats off to them for their perseverance, attitude and music that still kicks ass in the best possible way! The CD includes a huge 20-page booklet with all the lyrics, a cool band photo, live photos of each member individually, and a fantastic Wolven Claws artwork on the front cover. This is one of the best death metal releases of 2025, so get it soon or you'll be damned!!!

Let me say right off the bat that the new Cancer album has turned out to be extremely awesome. "Inverted World" is the band's seventh full-length album, featuring a completely fresh line-up alongside frontman John Walker (vocals/guitar). His new partners in death metal crime are Robert Navajas (lead guitar), Daniel Maganto (bass) and Gabriel Valcázar (drums). The album's 10 songs were recorded at The Empty Hall Studio in Madrid (Spain), then mixed and mastered at Woodshed Studio in Landshut (Germany). The result is simply brilliant, with a huge wall of guitars, dynamic drums, thundering bass and John's recognizable growls coming together perfectly in this 44+ minute masterpiece. Musically, it represents a maximally fresh approach, incorporating some of the favorite stylistic features of the first three Cancer albums, spiced up with the members' up-to-date musical ideas. I especially like Gabriel's super tasteful drumming, which of course is strongly present in all the songs and makes the album really stand out. My personal favorites are "Enter the Gates", "Amputate" and "Corrosive". The CD packaging is decent, containing all the lyrics, photos of each member, a band photo and a killer cover. In short, everything is there for a good death metal release, so don't hesitate and order it now! "Inverted World" is clearly the best thing that has happened to Cancer in the last 30 years, so needless to say, I can't wait for the sequel!!!

I finally got my hands on Cryptopsy's new album, titled "An Insatiable Violence". As expected, the new material follows in the footsteps of "As Gomorrah Burns" (2023), with lightning-fast songs, skillful performance and, of course, mega-brutal sound production. Eight songs in almost 34 minutes, simply the way it should be. I also have to admit, I'm starting to get used to the musical direction of their latest work, namely the way they combine the trademarks of their first four albums with more modern, yet refreshing approaches. It's also very interesting that no matter what modern influences they mix into their repertoire, it still remains extreme, and even innovative in a certain sense. The quartet roars wildly in their signature brutal, grinding death metal, not forgetting to incorporate as much groove as possible into their music. The opening track, "The Nimis Adoration", is a perfect example of this, showcasing their full musical arsenal, complete with a super melodic guitar solo and equally tuneful bass pattern. "Until There's Nothing Left" continues the sonic carnage furiously, spinning down almost in one breath. The third piece is "Dead Eyes Replete", a less wild song that focuses more on melodic riffs and moods. Then there's "Fools Last Acclaim", which is a groove monster with tricky drum patterns, ultra-crazy screams, and some pretty massive growls. This is followed by "The Art of Emptiness", which starts off epic with spoken words and then descends into relentless aural destruction. "Our Great Deception" has a similarly monumental opening, with ethereal acoustic guitar parts and some very jazzy drum patterns. This song is dominated by a generally quite melodic soundscape. The seventh track is titled "Embrace the Nihility". This composition is again about moods and grooves, with measured tempos. It's also interesting that Mike DiSalvo is featured as a guest vocalist there. The album ends with "Malicious Needs". This is another great piece of pounding, groove-driven brutality that fittingly closes the album with an atmospheric touch. The CD comes in a deluxe digipak with silver foil printing, along with a 12-page booklet containing the lyrics, two band photos, and an incredible cover artwork by the recently deceased Martin Lacroix, who was a member of Cryptopsy from 2001 to 2003 and also sang on the live album "None So Live" (2003).

It's really cool that Season of Mist recently re-released this cult demo of Cryptopsy, both on CD and 12" vinyl. This demo, originally released on cassette by Gore Records in 1993, was the start of something special. Its four tracks were recorded in the Lord Worm (vocals), Steve Thibault (lead and rhythm guitars, vocals), Dave Galea (lead and rhythm guitars, vocals), Kevin Weagle (bass) and Flo Mounier (drums, vocals) line-up at Parametres. The sound production was pretty solid and the songwriting skills of the quintet were decent. Some Cannibal Corpse and Carcass influences could be detected in the nearly 15 minutes of material, but the future essence of Cryptopsy's style was successfully implanted in these 4 songs as well. Three of them, namely "Gravaged: A Cryptopsy", "Abigor" and "Mutant Christ", were re-recorded for the debut album "Blasphemy Made Flesh" (1994), while "Back to the Worms" was later re-recorded for the album "And Then You'll Beg" (2000). This CD reissue features the original cover image and a killer 12-page booklet which, in addition to the lyrics, includes some rare band and live photos, plus plenty of flyers, a review and Flo's liner notes from 2021. I know that this demo has been re-released in various formats in the past, but this new, revamped edition is still worth the investment, if you ask me. So if you're a die-hard Cryptopsy fan, you should definitely have this version in your collection, and that's not up for debate!!!

This EP, which also bears the title of the forthcoming full-length album, doesn't offer much new, at least for a Destruction fan. There are 5 songs in total, with a length of almost 18 minutes. The first two songs, "No Kings – No Masters" and "Fast as a Shark" (Accept cover), were featured on the "No Kings – No Masters" 12" vinyl released last year. Of course, both songs will be on the new album, and "No Kings – No Masters" is a pretty good representation of Destruction's current musical direction. The band is definitely on fire, and with two new songs, "Destruction" and "A.N.G.S.T.", already available online, which are badass headbangers, the new album is set to be a brutal thrash metal assault. So I'm really looking forward to March 7, 2025 – the official release date of "Birth of Malice". The other 3 songs on the CD are "Whiplash" (Metallica cover), "(We Are) The Road Crew" (Motörhead cover) and the live version of "Nailed to the Cross". The latter is taken from the live album "Live Attack" (2021), while the covers were previously part of the Japanese CD version of "All Hell Breaks Loose" (2000) and the digibook CD version of "Inventor of Evil" (2005). The CD itself comes in a cardboard sleeve with a close-up of the cover of "Birth of Malice", designed by Gyula Havancsák. If you want to get your hands on this 5-song EP, hurry and order Legacy Magazine #154 (01/2025) or you'll miss out. This issue also includes a 12-page Destruction article and a 2-page poster, a must-have for all Destruction fans!!!

Destruction is back with a vengeance! "Birth of Malice" is the title of their new masterpiece, which contains over 50 minutes of thrash metal fury in 12 tracks. Interesting that the CD edition (which I believe contains the original order of the songs) has the middle tracks in a different order than the vinyl edition, I guess due to the length of the album both vinyl sides were simply adjusted to the 25+ minute length. Also interesting, or rather very strange, is the fact that the intro of the album starts with a Hell's Kitchen violin sound effect, I really don't know why they used that at all, but whatever. Well, the quartet's ultra-modern thrash metal formula is even more refined and polished on "Birth of Malice", but also musically and lyrically much darker than before. All this is combined with impeccable sound and visuals to make the listener's journey even more enjoyable. I personally loved listening to the songs "Destruction", "No Kings – No Masters", "Scumbag Human Race" and "A.N.G.S.T.", which are the clear highlights of the new material. The other songs are not bad at all, just less informative for me. It's also incomprehensible to me why most metal bands nowadays are so obsessed with long albums, when a perfect thrash metal album should be around 40 minutes or less, but certainly not 50 minutes or more. In any case, Destruction is still moving forward and creating better things with each release, so it's not bad for the future. The great-looking and well-designed digipak edition comes with a 16-page booklet containing the lyrics, a band photo and digitally manipulated member shots. It's pretty cool for sure, so fans of the band are advised to get it now, otherwise you'll be cursed for eternity!!!

Well, you could say this is another boring reissue of Destruction's classic "Mad Butcher" EP in the usual way, but it's actually not. Why, you may ask? Because for the first time it includes the rare material from "Live Ruins" on CD, which was previously only available in the "Tales of Morbid Brains" vinyl box and the "Trapped in Lunatic Possession" cassette box. Personally, I'm very happy that these live tracks are finally available in CD format. Plus, since both the EP and the live recordings are from 1987, it's definitely a fitting pairing. For the sake of detail, the 5 songs that make up "Live Ruins" were recorded live at the Dynamo Open Air Festival on June 8, 1987. At the time, it was one of the largest and most prestigious metal festivals in Europe, and you could hear it in the crowd's cheers between songs. The quartet's performance is a bit chaotic at times, but the live energy is simply incredible. They play their songs quickly and electrifyingly. Oh, the song selection is also great, as it includes "Eternal Ban", "Unconscious Ruins", "United by Hatred", "Bestial Invasion" and "Confused Mind", I'm particularly happy with "United by Hatred" and "Confused Mind" as these weren't often featured in the band's repertoire later on. Anyway, the live recording sounds pretty good, and I hope I'm not the only one who finds this a real treasure. The nearly 42-minute CD comes with a slipcase, an 8-page booklet, and a double-sided poster. In short, this release will only be appreciated by super-obsessed Destruction fans, which is perhaps understandable in some ways. A collector's item, for sure!!!