My Top Albums of 2023

On By UncannyDerekIn Music, Top AlbumsLeave a comment

And starting off at number fifteen. . .

15. Midnight Betrothed – Death… My Faithful Bride (Australia – Northern Silence Productions)

Haunting and tremendously mournful, Midnight Betrothed second album is one of the more unique albums I’ve heard this year. While the uninitiated may hear the traditional low-production quality that is signature to early black metal, the album is intrinsically layered with textures that sets the perfect ambience that is Death… My Faithful Bride.

https://midnightbetrothed-northernsilence.bandcamp.com/album/death-my-faithful-bride

14. Dream Unending/Worm – Starpath (Canada/United States – 20 Buck Spin)

A split has never made my Top 15 before – so congratulations to Dream Unending and Worm with Starpath. Dream Unending’s melancholic atmosphere matches surprisingly well with Worm’s blackened death tones. While the two bands have two distinct sounds, they are coherent when side-by-side – something I never would’ve expected when I initially learned these two were releasing Starpath.

https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com/album/starpath

13. Ozric Tentacles – Lotus Unfolding (England – Kscope)

Ozric Tentacles sixteenth album shows the band has no signs of fatigue or that they’re running out of ideas. Always absorbing and utilizing musical technology around them, the psychedelic/fusion prog rock band reinvigorates listeners by providing them something different-yet-familiar to their listeners. In my opinion, this album is definitely best enjoyed with headphones.

https://kscopemusic.bandcamp.com/album/lotus-unfolding

12. Taake – Et Hav av Avstand (Norway – Dark Essence Records)

In their eighth release, the legendary black metal band – or Hoest from Taake – still wows. With four songs sprawling 42 minutes, Taake rips into some of very dark and progressive music. With dauntingly powerful ebbing movements along with some very epic peaks, Et Hav av Avstand is a true and brilliant accomplishment.

https://darkessencerecords.no/kar266-taake-et-hav-av-avstand/

11. Ahab – The Coral Tombs (Germany – Napalm Records)

I’ve always felt Ahab’s been chasing The Call of the Wretched Sea since its release. While The Coral Tombs took some warming up to, I’ve felt this is the closest the band has ever come. Drenched with with mood and various shining moments through the darkness, The Coral Tombs stands out, not only as one of Ahab’s best albums, but one of my favourites this year.

https://ahab.bandcamp.com/album/the-coral-tombs

10. Riverside – ID.Entity (Poland – InsideOut)

Riverside always seems to be reinventing their selves while still feeling like Riverside. It’s truly remarkable how they accomplish it. With Id.Entity, Riverside explores new and seemingly familiar musical territory – touching in a bit of Depeche Mode and 80s-aesthetic. This prog rock/metal band seems to always be on the move – and it’s working out!

https://riversideband.pl/en/music/albums/id-entity

9. Isafjørd – Hjartastjaki (Iceland – Svart Records)

Featuring singer Aðalbjörn Addi Tryggvason from Sólstafir and ex-Pain of Salvation member, Ragnar Zolberg, Hjartastjaki presents one of the most moody, if not spiritual albums I’ve listened to this year. With songs feeling like they came straight from the heart, the duo create a painfully beautiful soundscape. While melancholic, the album is still surprisingly uplifting.

https://www.svartrecords.com/en/artist/isafj%C3%B8rd-isafjord/10766

8. Afksy – Om hundrede år (Denmark – Vendetta Records)

Afsky’s Om hundrede år shows how black metal can be more than just “noise” to the casual listener. Epic and glorious, the album showcases moods and both wailing guitars and vocals. Its utter rawness is majestic and expressive – letting the listener really understand the feeling of loss through music.

https://vendetta-records.bandcamp.com/album/om-hundrede-r

7. Aara – Triade III: Nyx (Switzerland – Debemur Morti Productions)

Aara astounds in the conclusion of their musical trilogy with Triade III: Nyx. With its grand and monumental scope, the story’s music is as intense as it is beautiful. With incredible blast beats and screeching vocals and guitar, there’s a simplistic notion behind it all that captures the listener’s attention amongst the frenzy.

https://aara.bandcamp.com/album/triade-iii-nyx

6. Voyager – Fearless in Love (Australia – Season of Mist)

In the world of progressive rock/metal, it’s hard to stand out amongst all of the musical wankery and pretentiousness that comes with the genre. Voyager however wipes it all away with incredibly catchy songs, hooks, and guitar solos. Reminding me of Threshold’s Dead Reckoning (in the sense that it was such a refreshing “new” sound for the band), Fearless in Love will be on my playlist for years to come.

https://voyager.bandcamp.com/album/fearless-in-love

5. Gridlink – Coronet Juniper (United States – Willowtip Records)

I thought Gridlink was done for – especially given guitarist Takefumi Matsubara suffered a brain infection leaving his left hand paralyzed. Yet here we are! Matsubara recovered and holy hell, we have Coronet Juniper! Grindcore at its finest, the blazingly fast and catchy album suffers only for being too short! I’m so glad Gridlink is back and I can’t wait for their next adventure.

https://gridlink.bandcamp.com/album/coronet-juniper

4. Ulthar – Anthronomicon (United States – 20 Buck Spin)

Releasing two albums at the same time, Anthronomicon and Helionomicon shows Ulthar can continue to pump out quality albums. While Helionomicon I felt suffered from being too experimental, Anthronomicon astounds with everything that makes Ulthar great. Awesome guitar hooks pair with instrumental technical prowess makes it one of the best death metal albums I’ve heard this year.

https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com/album/anthronomicon

3. Minenwerfer – Feuerwalze (United States – Osmose Productions)

Upon first listen, I felt like I was listening to Panzer Division Marduk again – which I feel is an incredibly high praise to give a black metal album. Feuerwalze is so in-your-face and absolutely relentless with its attack. For their fourth album, Minenwerfer doesn’t hold back. Powerful and persistent – this is my favourite black metal album of the year.

https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/feuerwalze

2. Fossilization – Leprous Daylight (Brazil – Everlasting Spew Records)

“Portal but better,” is how I would recommend this album. Featuring terrifying atmosphere and a pounding snare, Leprous Daylight encapsulates brutality and fury in an incredible 36 minutes that doesn’t come close to overstaying its welcome. With filthy riffs and tones from the guitars and bass, the listener can easily become entranced with the album’s ferocity.

https://everlastingspewrecords.bandcamp.com/album/leprous-daylight

1. Horrendous – Ontological Mysterium (United States – Season of Mist)

Astounding progressive death metal riddled with thrash is how I’d categorize Horrendous’ Ontological Mysterium.

With each song standing out as an achievement on their own, it’s obvious why this album is on the top of my list. Songs such as “Neon Leviathan” showcase traditional thrash with it’s drum/bass opening only to turn into a technical foray of death and prog. “Cult of Shaad’oah” shows off how much variety Horrendous offers with clean riffs which emphasize off-beats and finger-tapping goodness. Every song is off of the album is one banger after the other.

Then there’s stranger moments like in “Exeg(en)esis” where repetitive instrumentals perform behind layered vocals – feeling something reminiscent from Cynic’s Focus. Yet the song progresses and explores different avenues than what the listener would have expected it to go. Every song feels like it has something creative to show – and it all flows naturally without jarring interruptions.

The album is dark. The album is blackened. It’s riddled with death metal, progressive metal, and thrash metal – and it all comes together coherently . For those reasons and more is why Horrendous’ Ontological Mysterium is my favourite album of the year.

https://horrendous.bandcamp.com/album/ontological-mysterium

Honourable Mentions:

Pustilence – Beliefs of Dead Stargazers and Soothsayers

Cannibal Corpse – Chaos Horrific

Blaze of Sorrow – Vultus Fati

Ulthar – Helionomicon

Cryptopsy – As Gomorrah Burns

Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit

Bell Witch – Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate

Lunar Chamber – Shambhallic Vibrations EP

Most Disappointed:

Metallica – 72 Seasons

Overkill – Scorched

Steven Wilson – The Harmony Codex

Blink 182 – One More Time…

The Flower Kings – Look at You Now

My Top Albums of 2022

On By UncannyDerekIn Music, Top AlbumsLeave a comment

And starting off at number fifteen. . .

15. Gevurah – Gehinnom (Canada – Profound Lore)

The second album from Gevurah features their great song writing technique with their ever-so-punishing black metal. With incredible blast beats and thrashing riffs, the Gehinnom feels in your face for a full 46 minutes with tasteful acoustic interludes in-between the destruction.

https://gevurah.bandcamp.com/album/gehinnom

14. ARÐ – Take Up My Bones (England – Prophecy Recordings)

In a complete 180 from the album listed above, ARÐ’s Take Up My Bones is epic doom metal at its best. With a slow, dramatic pace and hauntingly beautiful vocal layers, the album at times feels more like an extended mournful prayer. It’s incredible how it works – and an incredible performance by artist Mark Deeks.

https://ardnorthumbria.bandcamp.com/album/take-up-my-bones

13. Night Hag – Phantasmal Scourge (United States – Rotted Life Records)

The death and doom of Night Hag’s Phantasmal Scourge is filthy AF. Heavy on the reverb and heavy in the riffs, Night Hag’s debut album does not disappoint. The album terrifies: with incredible vocal variations and frightening atmosphere, the nine tracks keep the listener engaged for the horrifying journey.

https://rottedlife.bandcamp.com/album/phantasmal-scourge

12. Escuela Grind – Memory Theater (united States – MNRK Heavy)

The grind/hardcore and metallic stylings of Escuela Grind are just fantastic. With exploding riffs, blast beats, and growls and screams from lead vocalist Katerina Economou, Memory Theater is just powerful. And what’s even better? The power has groove. The creative songwriting on this album simply is top-notch.

https://escuelagrind.bandcamp.com/album/memory-theater

11. Olhava – Reborn (Russia – Independent)

Back again on my list for another year, Olhava’s Reborn is breathtaking. Still at the top of their game with the bitter atmosphere they evoke, the near-hour-and-twenty-minute album is enchanting and riddled with mood. While at a glance one may feel the album should be shorter – if you’re in the mood for it – you’ll only end up wanting more by the end.

https://olhava.bandcamp.com/album/reborn

10. Cosmic Putrefaction – Crepuscular Dirge for the Blessed Ones (Italy – Profound Lore)

Cosmic is definitely one way to describe the album; Crepuscular Dirge for the Blessed Ones it’s a wild death metal journey that features some out-of-the-box thinking which makes moments of the album border along avant-garde. Solo artist Gabriele Gramaglia absolutely crushes it. With great power comes great intensity: and this album has both.

https://profoundlorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/crepuscular-dirge-for-the-blessed-ones

9. Artificial Brain – Artificial Brain (United States – Profound Lore)

I don’t think Artificial Brian can come out with an album I’ll dislike. They’re three for three now in making my Top 15 list – and I listen to a lot in any given year. The science-fiction melded tech-death stylings seems to be a sweet-spot for me. Of course it helps when Luc Lemay (Gorguts) makes a guest appearance and Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts, and a ton of others) mixes the album. Just a brilliant piece of art.

https://profoundlorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/artificial-brain

8. Blind Guardian – The God Machine (Germany – Nuclear Blast)

What a return to form! After years of rather ho-hum albums, Blind Guardian comes back with The God Machine. Bringing back some thrash to their power metal, The God Machine feels like a meld between A Night at the Opera and Somewhere Far Beyond. After thirty years, Blind Guardian still has some major staying power and I’m very happy with this album.

https://blindguardian.bandcamp.com/album/the-god-machine

7. Mosaic – Heimatspuk (Germany – Eisenwald)

Always on the hunt for something different, Mosaic’s Heimatspuk nails it. Into the third album, solo artist Valkenstijn showcases incredible songwriting ability with encapsulating acting and drama. Each song feels independent yet cohesive – all sharing an audible theme of despair which runs throughout the album.

https://mosaic777.bandcamp.com/album/heimatspuk

6. Voivod – Synchro Anarchy (Canada – Century Media)

The progressive thrashers are back with what may be their most “accessible” album to date. Syncho Anarchy’s nine songs are full of punch and energy. You can also feel the band having fun while performing the songs in the studio. There’s a certain excitement that comes with each song that makes Synchro Anarchy one of the best Voivod albums in quite some time.

https://www.voivod.com/

5. Grima – Frostbitten (Russia – Naturmacht Productions)

Like Olhava, Grima makes it back on my list for two years in a row. (What is it with these Russian black metal bands?) Like previous albums, the scope of Grima is based in nature and an epic feel. With mid-paced black metal, the songs get time to breathe and let the listen really become engrossed in the catchy melodies. If anything, Frostbitten comes across as one of the most positive-feeling albums in Grima’s catalogue.

https://grima.bandcamp.com/album/frostbitten

4. Sigh – Shiki (Japan – Peaceville Records)

When a new Sigh comes out, everyone should listen. Constantly breaking the rules of production and how songs can and should be written, the newest Sigh does not disappoint. Always with incredible musicianship, the dynamics on the album are what really stand out. Guitar solos, rototoms, synthesizers, and more, all take center stage in various moments within the album. There’s something very different with Shiki and it’s an honest joy to listen to again and again.

https://peaceville.bandcamp.com/album/shiki

3. Véhémence – Ordalies (France – Antiq Records)

Ripping, epic medieval black/folk metal from France. Ordalies comes in with fresh production and ideas, offering traditional instruments like bagpipes, flutes, and lutes, to make already memorable songs stand out further. The guitar riffs are just incredible though. Crisp and fast, Ordalies is the stand-out black metal album for me this year.

https://peaceville.bandcamp.com/album/shiki

2. Morrow – The Quiet Earth (England – Alerta Antifascista Records)

Absolutely breathtaking crust punk. Within the first few moments of the album, I knew I was in for a ride. With acoustic guitars and percussion being the main driving force of the music, the many vocal styles of Morrow are what really pack a punch. The songs build and fall, creating dramatic escapes and dynamic, engrossing moments that really make The Quiet Earth stand out as an awesome force.

https://morrowpunx.bandcamp.com/album/the-quiet-earth

1. Wormrot – Hiss (Singapore – Earache Records)

I couldn’t begin to count the number of times I’ve listened to Hiss. While the band is grindcore at heart, Hiss is just so much more than that.

With every song having a story, each song brings something different and inspired. From the anthem-like chants in “When Talking Fails, It’s Time For Violence” or the wailing screams to guttural vocal shifts in “The Darkest Burden,” singer Arif comes across like ten vocalists as one. Guitarist Rasyid offers a flurry of range, with bright, aggressive guitars in “Your Dystopian Hell” to the down-right thrash-grind riffs in “Spiral Eyes.” Then there’s songs like “Behind Closed Doors” where drummer Vijesh features both punk rock drum beats and blast beats. But then in “Sea of Disease,” the toms shine with a mid-paced gallop – progressive variations which are not usually found in the genre.

There’s so much variety from the trio of musicians, Hiss is constantly reeling the listener in.

In fact, many of the songs simply transcend one another while holding together a cohesive feel. By the twelfth track “Grieve,” violins enter the album in a dissonant, sinister way. They reappear in a handful of songs afterward. By the final song, “Glass Shards,” the trio come together and make an emotional plea to the listener. And then comes that emotional violin solo, concluding the album and giving me goosebumps and concluding the aggressive drama.

While Arif unfortunately left Wormrot after Hiss’ release, I cannot think of a better high-note to leave on for any artist.

Upon first listen, I knew Hiss would be my Album of the Year: nothing comes close to the ferocity, excitement, progressiveness, brilliance, and emotions that this album evokes from me. Hands-down one of, if not, the best grindcore album I’ve ever listened to.

https://wormrot.bandcamp.com/album/hiss

Honourable Mentions:

Marillion – An Hour Before It’s Dark

The Chasm – The Scars of a Lost Reflective Shadow

The Gathering – Beautiful Distortion

Satan – Earth Infernal

Tomb Mold – Aperture of Body EP

Deströyer 666 – Never Surrender

Porcupine Tree – Closure / Continuation

Alanis Morissette – The Storm Before the Calm

Grand Belial’s Key – Kohanic Charmers

Most Disappointed:

Evergrey – A Heartless Portrait

Meshuggah – Immutable

Megadeth – The Sick, The Dying… And the Dead!

Abbath – Dread Reaver





My Top Albums of 2021

On By UncannyDerekIn Comic BloggingLeave a comment

And starting off at number fifteen. . .

15. Pan-Amerikan Native Front – Little Turtle’s War (United States – Independent)

Black metal with a dash of awe. Pan-Amerikan Native Front’s second full-length is intense with power and rage. It’s lo-fi production adds to the chaos. My favourite track, The Great White Beaver Lurks, is an awesome mid-paced song among the disruption.

https://pan-amerikannativefront.bandcamp.com/album/little-turtles-war

14. Friisk – ..un torügg bleev blot Sand (Germany – Vendetta)

Unlike Pan-Amerikan, Friisk bestows intense moods and atmosphere with their debut album. Similar at times to one of my favourite Icelandic black metal bands, Auðn, Friisk brilliantly showcases some blistering speed alongside their dramatic performances.

https://friisk.bandcamp.com/album/un-tor-gg-bleev-blot-sand

13. Fluisteraars – Gegrepen Door de Geest der Zielsontluiking (Netherlands – Eisenwald)

It’s rare to see 20+ minute black metal songs, yet Fluisteraars pieces one together and it goes by in an instant. Almost avant-garde at times, Fluisteraars’s fourth album is ambitious and rich with nuance – all-the-while still showcasing moments of insanity.

https://fluisteraars.bandcamp.com/

12. Drawn and Quartered – Congregation Pestilence (United States – Krucyator Productions)

A group of death metal veterans, Drawn and Quartered’s newest release features the band’s technical ability to write strong, creative music. With a solid old-school death metal sound, Congregation Pestilence is rich with pacing and riffs to make your ears bleed. Without going into the typical verse/chorus structure, D&Q’s music is filled with brilliance.

https://krucyator.bandcamp.com/album/congregation-pestilence

11. WODE – Burn In Many Mirrors (United Kingdom – 20 Buck Spin)

A mix of blackened/death thrash metal makes WODE’s third album an extreme journey to experience. Unrelenting and surprisingly melodic, the album comes with a great energy to it. With unexpectedly catchy riffs and crisp production, WODE’s ever-changing style serves them well.

https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/burn-in-many-mirrors

10. Cannibal Corpse – Violence Unimagined (United States – Metal Blade)

Another group of veterans in the death metal world, Cannibal Corpse’s newest may be one of their best since Kill (although I prefer Torture). While still keeping up the same sound listeners have become accustomed to, newcomer Erik Rutan added some awesome power I’m sure no one felt the band was lacking.

https://cannibalcorpse.bandcamp.com/album/violence-unimagined

9. Ŭkcheănsălâwit – Alaskan Escape EP (Canada – Les Productions Hérétiques)

My favourite EP of the year! This speedily album feels bleak and cold – which is exactly what it was going for. To showcase a song: To an Alaskan Glacier, while minimal in instruments, is huge in drama making for an incredible feat to achieve. I would surely buy a full LP of this music whenever one is made.

https://ukcheansalawit.bandcamp.com/album/alaskan-escape

8. Olhava – Frozen Bloom (Russia – Avantgarde Music)

While Fluisteraars had a single 20-minute song, Olhava has one, plus a few more over the 10-minute mark. The Russian duo pieces beautifully intense music with a raging atmosphere and subtle soundscapes. While two of the four songs are really black metal, Olhava brings in drone and ambient elements which perfectly encapsulates the ebb and flow of the natural concept they were aiming for in Frozen Bloom.

https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/frozen-bloom

7. Outre-Tombe – Abysse Mortifère (Canada – Temple of Mystery Records)

This band just keeps impressing. Outre-Tombe’s now three for three on making my annual lists and for good reason – their music is really flipping awesome. Moments of Abysse Mortifère remind me of early-Voivod, while others standout as early-Morbid Angel. A ripping good time, Abysse Mortifère knocks it out of the park.

https://templeofmystery.bandcamp.com/album/abysse-mortifere

6. Cynic – Ascension Codes (United States –Season of Mist)

After two thirds of the band passed away in 2020, how could Cynic continue? Paul Masvidal carries on Sean Reinert’s and Sean Malone’s legacy with Ascension Codes – a strange, yet familiar feeling. While the album feels bogged down by short interludes between songs, the music is an emotional progressive journey: absolutely brilliant and constantly transcending.

https://cyniconline.bandcamp.com/album/ascension-codes

5. Liquid Tension Experiment – Liquid Tension Experiment 3 (United States – InsideOut)

Their first release since LTE2 in 1999, LTE3 brings back the brilliance of Dream Theater members John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, and Mike Portnoy, along with legendary bassist Tony Levin, to produce one of the most surprising albums for me this year. All-instrumental, LTE3 is not so much a jam session like previous albums, but a well-executed romp into prog rock and metal.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6GDFV4kWsQDYuah6tSqmu2

4. Grima – Rotten Garden (Russia – Naturmacht Productions)

My favourite atmospheric black metal album of the year, Grima’s Rotten Garden was also the first album I picked up when it was released in January. It has been regularly spun since. It’s haunting beauty comes together with nature and grandiose scope. With the odd keyboard frill and additional accordion in certain songs, Rotten Garden is absolutely a fresh listen to every spin.

https://grima.bandcamp.com/album/rotten-garden

3. Koldovstvo – Ни царя, ни бога (??? – Extraconscious Records)

Not much is known about the band and their debut album: A Russian band name. Roman Numeral song titles. Signed to an American label. Is it one person or a group? What Ни царя, ни бога is though, is an experience. Was the album recorded in another room? The production is both astonishing and very entrancing. It’s albums like this one which I live for. Tracks I and IV are absolute standouts.

https://koldovstvo.bandcamp.com/album/-

2. Ferriterium – Calvaire (France – Epictural Production)

Also released in January, I unfortunately wasn’t able to grab a physical copy as it sold out. And it sold out fast for good reason too: it’s incredible. Immediately fast and dramatic, Calvaire is doused in both strength and agony. A rich and fast-paced album, it’s still a melodic black metal journey filled with so much emotion and heartbreak, you find yourself picking up pieces when all is said and done.

https://ferriterium.bandcamp.com/album/calvaire

1. Mannveira – Vitahríngur (Iceland – Dark Descent Records)

There’s a handful of albums that happen to be there when you need them the most. Mannveira’s debut album Vitahríngur just happened to be that album for me this year.

Doused in sludge and dreariness, Vitahríngur time-and-time again happened to be my go-to when I needed it the most. It’s raw, rather simplistic approach to music writing can keep the listener engrossed to the music and feel what they need to feel.

Rarely going into blast beats or fast speeds, the album keeps a mostly mid-paced tempo to it – its dark nature sucking you in with each kick of the bass drum. The muddied vocals give grief, anger, and sorrow, keeping with the overall tone of the album. The song, Í köldum faðmi is a perfect example of all of that.

While the title track offers a bit of optimism, the album constantly keeps you down, throwing the listener back into the cacophonous well.

While straying a slight bit from the overall sound of Icelandic black metal, Vitahríngur still defines its own sound with a nihilistic approach and gloomy dissonance.

https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/vitahr-ngur

Honourable Mentions:

Ungfell – Es grauet

Anneke van Giersbergen – The Darkest Skies are the Brightest

Cerebral Rot – Excretion of Mortality

Dordeduh – Har

Hulder – Godslastering: Hymns of a Forlorn Peasantry

The Crown – Royal Destroyer

Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee

Proscriptor McGovern’s Apsû – Proscriptor McGovern’s Apsû

Havukruunu – Kuu Erkylän Yllä EP

Most Disappointed:

Steven Wilson – The Future Bites

Darkthrone – Eternal Hails

Bent Knee – Frosting

My Top 100 Favourite Albums of All-Time

On By UncannyDerekIn Comic Books, MusicLeave a comment

 

Taking on the Herculean effort to decide my 100 favourite albums was no easy feat. Over many weeks, I forced myself to write out my favourite albums of all time. I wanted to see what really inspired me through the years by sorting and ranking everything that has touched my life in some way.

The original list ended up being 115 albums. As I sorted through everything, albums got pulled away, other albums I forgot were added – I wanted to take my time with this.

I should also state these albums are my personal favourite – not what I consider to be the “best” albums. Trust me, that list would look entirely different than what I have here.

The only “rule” for myself was to not have more than three albums from one band.

This will probably be one of the most eclectic mix of albums you’ll ever see together – so enjoy!

See #100-90 >

Review: Blessed by Perversion – Remnants of Existence

On By UncannyDerekIn Music ReviewsLeave a comment

Blessed by Perversion – Remnants of Existence
Iron, Blood and Death Corporation

Brutally intense with some pulse-pounding riffs and beats, Blessed by Perversion’s second album, Remnants of Existence, is a thrilling album for death metal fans to really engage with.

Ironically (or coincidentally) the Greek band released their album on Christmas Day in 2020. Their six-track album hits the ground running and setting a mood of what they’re trying to accomplish. The intro track, Descending into the Catacombs, is a slow minute-fifteen-long burn as the listener becomes surrounded by the sounds and sights the music creates in their mind. Then come the double kicks and Gallery of Bones picks the album up.

Flowing with mid-paced and rhythmic chugging for a short while, a sudden change in structure is where Hell breaks loose. Guitar and bass change – the tempo picks up and the listener is slammed with a wall of brutality. With an impressive guitar solo and well-placed, almost groovy riffs near the end of the track, the song ends only to be carried by an even heavier track, Atonement Refused.

Feeling more in-place with mid-90s death metal, Atonement Refused rips through with blistering speed. The hefty chugs within the chorus, followed by its technical bridge – and well-placed bass groove – changes up with moments of a Phrygian scale and mirrors something sounding almost from Nile. However, it doesn’t come across like a “copy” as the ideas fits within the atmosphere and feeling Remnants of Existence is aiming to create.

Within Among the Tombs of Absent Gods, the crushing riffs don’t stop. Feeling even darker than the last track, the album continues its descent for the listener. With layered vocals, the growls become more sinister and absorb the listener down the band’s dark path.

In Caverns of Torture, there’s a Cannibal Corpse-y feel to the song with its finger tapping intro and addition to more treble on bass guitar. The pounding chorus with pinched harmonics, along with the slamming snare adds some interesting colour to the already impressive track. After a bit of a break down, the song resets itself with the finger tapping intro and descends into madness with a dark guitar solo and filthy riffs that really pushes out the aggression.

The anthem-like Within Monumental Chaos concludes the album with probably the more memorable chorus on the album. The song features a descending scale with a technical breakdown which, in my opinion, really encapsulates the songwriting prowess of Blessed by Perversion. With a sweeping guitar solo, the song begins its double-kick conclusion as it wraps up the album with an epic, yet dark feeling.

Every song on the album was an impressive feat. While bass could been louder in some moments and kick drums may feel over-processed in some parts, Remnants of Existence floored me with quality in both production and song-writing capability. Rarely do I get to review albums from independent bands that really knock me off my feet.

A technically brilliant and dark, haunting journey, Blessed by Perversion’s Remnants of Existence is an album within the death metal realm that should not be missed.

Blessed by Perversion on Bandcamp