Like many of us, I journeyed through a number of different genres figuring out what I like (and I may never be done). Along the way, I stumbled into Severe Torture in the used section of my local CD Warehouse (fuck I'm old) and picked it up on a whim. These days, I don't have the patience for much of brutal death's drum style, but this was a welcome departure from the mainstream at the time (2005?)

More JFAC Friday, but off-genre this time. I’m having a hard time proving it, but I’d have sworn Entities was tacked onto the rest of the EP, as like a bonus track for a rerelease. It has the polish and production value of Genesis with the style of Doom, and importantly the mastery of the high+low layered vocals which got me all hot and bothered when I first heard these guys

I’m generally trying to avoid repeating bands as long as I can while this community is getting started, but on a rules-are-relaxed Friday evening I’m gonna take the opportunity to post more JFAC. Tracks like this have an absolutely evil chord progression. I’m sure guitar nerds could explain what I’m hearing at 1:15, all I know is it makes me want to worship dead gods and rip my own eyelids off

This is groove metal. Imo it sounds like not only a Lamb of God tribute band, but specifically the Ashes/Sacrament era. This track's solo at 2:55 reminded me of What I've Become (at 1:19) and caused me to appreciate What I've Become even more. Bonus: Sic Semper Tyrannis from the same album must be an absolute RIPPER live: I just headbanged my skull all the way off to it (in part because of the riff similar to 512 off of Sturm Und Drang).

Wow, what a name. Good tunes though. The chiptune segment in Roar Allay and Alter was also a fun surprise!

“Left field” in this community is for bands that are not new, but recently released something impressive, prompting me to wonder “why have I not heard of you from any of your previous albums??”

Leans a little *core sometimes (I am also a deathcore junkie, cut me some slack), but wow these guys don't mess around.

• Advorsa - Blood Moon [EP] (USA-IL)
• Chaos Descent - The Blurry End of an Era (Iran)
• Crypta - Shades of Sorrow (Brazil) (sick all-woman death/thrash)
• Devoidment - Cnidarian Synergy [EP] (USA-MD) (2 weeks ago, oops)
• Fear the Living - The Crooks Lead (CAN-AB) (2 weeks ago, oops)
• Hatred Reigns - Awaken the Ancients (CAN-ON) (looks like pushed back to October)
• Hetrem - Monster at Heart (Bosnia/Herzegovina)
• Iris of the Black Sun - Horizonless (New Zealand)
• Voidfall - No God But Death (AUS-VIC)

Delicious fretless bass, also Inferi's vocalist (since 2018)!

The guitar riff at 2:56 sounds a lot like Born of Osiris - Empires Erased, and that makes my former "high school deathcore junkie" self rejoice in nostalgia

Bumped into this band because the EP "In the Maze of Kadath" by French death metal band Catacomb (tbh, the name makes more sense for the French) was recommended FFO Lovecraftian themes. These guys have a fun proggy sound though, I'm here for it.

For the unaware, this is Malcolm Pugh (founding Inferi guitarist and erstwhile vocalist, and all-around BAMF)'s solo side project. See also: Demon King, also a few defunct bands.

“Left field” in this community is for bands that are not new, but recently released something impressive, prompting me to wonder “why have I not heard of you from any of your previous albums??”

“Left field” in this community is for bands that are not new, but recently released something impressive, prompting me to wonder “why have I not heard of you from any of your previous albums??”

From their 2021 album, A Monument To Silence.

https://uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-monument-to-silence

https://alustriumofficial.bandcamp.com

From their album, Hate Monolith, on Unique Leader.

https://uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hate-monolith

https://xenobiotic.bandcamp.com

Ughh I'm not saying I want everything to sound the same, but also if all tech death sounded like this I wouldn't be mad about it.

I had to send the cover art to my friends, because it has everything: inked art style, robed figure lifting a sacrifice at an altar to an eldritch abomination coming through some portal, wings, skulls, an indecipherable logo. You may not like it, but this is what peak album art looks like.

“Secret killers” in this community are bands with weirdly small listenership (quantified by <4k monthly listeners on Spotify), which I believe deserve more attention. (Ok ok, it’s “hidden gems” really, but “secret killers” just sounds so much more metal.)

Short and sweet EP from Permanence out of Venezuela. Not even 8 minutes long - I hope to hear more from the band in the near future.

https://permanenceofficial.bandcamp.com/album/creation

“Left field” in this community is for bands that are not new, but recently released something impressive, prompting me to wonder “why have I not heard of you from any of your previous albums??”

This album is another proud member of my "Job For A Cowboy worship" playlist (mostly because of the vocals)

Brutal tech I guess? All I know is it slaps. On first listen, the vocals weren’t my style, but it’s grown on me tremendously since then.

“Left field” in this community is for bands that are not new, but recently released something impressive, prompting me to wonder “why have I not heard of you from any of your previous albums??”

Better the Meshuggah, IMO. Can't wait for part II.

Aviscerus - A Rare Breed of Catastrophe (AUS-WA, 2022)

I'd file this under maybe groove metal or melodeath, but wow it's crushingly good. Classic example of "album art so cool I'm afraid the music will disappoint, but then it doesn't." That riff at 2:38? Yes please, all day.