Death metal has always felt like a magical portal to me. So much of this is the chimerical nature of it; it is just as capable of emulating the manic laughter and mad color of psychosis as it is the grime and darkness of overbearing sorrow. It can be mild or feral, extravagant or direct, psychedelic or straightforward. So much of my life has been spent trying to parse why I love it so much and why it moves me so deeply, why I gravitated to it as a child after seeing the music video for “Where the Slime Live” and hearing “Hammer Smashed Face” on cassette. All of those efforts have, in my eyes, failed. I’ve heard from others about them being moving or inspiring them toward stabs at art criticism themselves which sometimes have turned into careers, which is deeply flattering, but I am still unable to see the thing I wish to convey and that which came out on paper.
An aspect of the problem is that death metal is a mind-bogglingly wide musical world. It emerged from thrash initially, itself an emergence from speed metal, which came in turn from traditional heavy metal, which came itself from the heavy rock, psychedelia and progressive music of the mid ’60s to early ’70s. Because of this, death metal has always been more an energy or an approach to metal music rather than a specific sound. It’s why you can have bands that do blastbeats and bands that do backbeats, bands that do gnarly trem riffs and bands that do proggy finger twisters and bands that do Neanderthalic chugs derived from hardcore, bands that break any conceived notion you have about songwriting structures and norms and bands that deliver verse-chorus anthems. It begins to raise the question of what even is death metal, one that feels obvious until you immerse yourself in its world and start finding connections and separations that feel unexpected.
New Music Releases
Ænigmatum – Infinitude’s Passage is a prime example of the diversity of death metal. A comment on Bandcamp calls this record “shape-shifting death metal” and there isn’t a more apt way to describe it. Ænigmatum transition between the avant-garde and the direct, the abstract and the concrete, the progressive and the straight ripping, often within a single song. It’s a progressive album at heart, but more by the combination of elements rather than exclusively being wild Dream Theater instrumental excursions in a death metal context.
Another notable release is Amargor – Serem l’urna de l’honor. The latest record from Barcelona-based Amargor speaks through the miasma of black metal, post-punk, and industrial metal that formed the DSBM framework rather than DSBM as dogma. Lyrically, it’s not depressive, though stylistically it’s a downer, albeit it appears Amargor never dealt with anhedonia.
Anatomy of Habit – Paired Sentinels is a band that always has my ear when it comes to new material. They built their legacy over the past 15 years with an approach to industrial that mirrored the then-newly resurrected Swans. This new album adds more coherent senses of melody and color to their existing sound, moving away from the protoformal industrial of early Throbbing Gristle or Nurse With Wound toward something more akin to the goth rock sound that emerged from early post-punk mixed with a touch of the Scandinavian progressive alt rock that emerged in the 2000s.
Arise from Worms – A Bleeding Tree Hanging Self Destruction is a unique collaboration between Flo Mournier of Cryptopsy on drums, Steve Tucker of Morbid Angel from Formulas Fatal to the Flesh forward on vocals, Derek Sherinian formerly of Dream Theater and keyboardist of his own ultra-techy fusion-metal projects, bandled by a former Incantation guitarist who was too weird even for them. What comes out can only be described as death metal and Dream Theater; not mixed, but side-by-side, with no overlap musically, as though you are hardcutting between two unrelated albums.
More New Releases
Cabinet – Deracinated Into Soiled Reliquaries (Sarcophagus Odyssey) is an ambient album dressed in death metal robes. That’s been Cabinet’s MO since they broke off from main group Sxuperion earlier this decade, and they’ve no reason to stray from it given Deracinated…’s quality. The following sentences must be kept in context that this is a death metal record, one with gurgled vocals and deep-fried production.
Coprolith – Putrescence is a death metal album that creates music without rock influences. When they flex their chops, it’s to capture the body bleeding life and soul and decaying into a husk. Much of their debut album Putrescence is, therefore, quietly impressive, devoid of overt technicality and speed.
Hexorcist – Crucificial Imprecations is a thrashing death metal album that feels closer to the Costa Rican or Chilean scenes than anything from America. There is a raggedness here that feels like it comes from those concentrated abysses of extreme metal, where black, death, thrash and the weirder rims of heavy music all brew in one noxious cauldron.
Torpor – Dungeon Descent is a debut album that softens Norwegian black metal and denatures it until it becomes USPM. A strange comparison, but listen to the melodies and riffs on “Armoured Skeleton” and note how, with more tape hiss and a crustier demeanor, they’d fit under a funeral moon. Torpor gesture to worlds more epic and more cursed than theirs as if they’re worldbuilding through contrast.
In conclusion, the world of death metal is diverse and ever-evolving, with new releases constantly pushing the boundaries of what the genre can be. From the shape-shifting sounds of Ænigmatum to the ambient death metal of Cabinet, there’s something for every fan of extreme music. Whether you’re a longtime enthusiast or just discovering the genre, there’s no denying the power and energy of death metal. So, dive in and explore the many wonders that this genre has to offer.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte: proving that life, much like a buggy open-world game, is better with a little lag-induced chaos.
