Death is June- Left to Die : "Initium Mortis"

 

Two original Death members, Rick Rozz and Terry Butler, are joined by members of Gruemsome Matty Harvey and Gus Rios, who have been performing in this project as a tribute to their early "Lepersy" and "Spiritual Healing" days of the band, which is my favorite. It is not until the clean guitar leading into "Zombie" that it feels like we are getting to hear something outside of being in the vein of Death, which worked great for the first three songs, but it would have gotten old otherwise if they continued to churn in that direction without bringing anything new. There is more of a traditional metal feel when they go off into "Zombie".

The lyrics to "Witch of Hell" feel more like something Venom would have done, but the vocals have purpose and balance everything out. Not sure if this is the direction CChuck would have gone, but oh well, it works in this context, and perhaps it is how they feel they get their own identity. "Rise of Satan' has a more thrash approach, which makes sense as this music came out of the thrash scene. In fact, in early death metal, the lines between the two were blurred. They continue to pour on the speed for "Summoned to Die," which captures the spirit of this era more effectively. 

"Mantas" takes this in a more Venom-like direction, which shows Venom's influence on the genre. This also shows how the ovcals had more purpose back in the good old days. "Slaughterhouse" benefits from a more memorable chorus than verse, which races along the typical tremolo-picked death metal riff.. One cool thing about this album is the compact, efficient style of writing songs that gets everything you need done in under three and a half minutes. The last song also chugs into the intersection of where thrash met death metal. Overall, this album does not try to have its own identity as it's clearly a tribute to a specific era, but it works well, and they nailed what they wanted to do. Death fans dying for new music should be appeased. I will give it a 9. It drops on Relapse Records July 19th. 

pst259

Death is June - Live Review : Metal Crushed All Tour with Amon Amarth & Cannibal Corpse @ the Yuengling Center

Death metal hitting arenas was not what I expected, though the more mainstream sounds of Amon Amarth drew in a large portion of the crowd. It was a hometown show the two death metal legends Obituary and Cannibal Corpse. The evening's first band. Frozen Soul served as the impetus to get me out of the house and to the Yuengling Center. Their "Glacial Domination" album is my favorite metal album of 2023.  They opened with "Encased In Ice" which set an ominous enough tone for their introduction. Frontman Chad Green was very engaging, and perhaps the most eager to connect with the crow. The band stomped in the more recent fare with the crunching chug of " Morbid Effigy", They streamed the songs and got to the point with none of the atmospheric build-up heard on the albums. "Arsenal of War' got the moshing going. Their groove style of death metal works well with larger crowds.     artic stranglehold, no snow machine or magic the Gathering was being played in the pit, just the enthusiasm of a band taking the step up to play in larger venues along aide their idols. 

Obituary was impressive and very professional. The last time I caught them was at a club in Atlanta, during one of the periods when Death Metal was not as popular as it is now, so 2009 sounds about right. Production wise everything was dialed in. They might have even been the tightest band. But there was a feeling that despite this being a hometown show they were not into it and punching the clock. Even punching the clock they are still top tier. They only played songs from their two most recent albums, which are both rippers so that was not bad, it was just with a limited time frame, they could have thrown in one classic. Regardless it was clear they deserved to be on an arena stage because, in terms of execution, it was like  watching Slayer in their prime, 

Cannibal Corpse took the stage with little fanfare and a great deal of authority. "Scourge of Iron", was a fitting opening song as it is more deliberate so was no the band just hammering you with a barrage of brutality from the word go. They proved they have been perfecting their grooves over the years with "Blood Blind" from their most recent album.  The more thrashing attack of "Inhumane Harvest" from "Violence Unimagined' felt even more powerful. "Evisceration Plague" would not have been my first choice for their set list, but it translated well, and kept their momentum going. They are pretty confident in their body of work and when they dug into "Death Walking Terror" it proved they have every right to be. Some songs even worked better with " I Cum Blood" certainly being one of them. "Summoned For Sacrifice" was once again proof that their newest album holds up against their body of work. While Fisher claimed "Stripped, Raped and Strangled" was their last song they did come back and play  "Hammer Smashed Face". They were one of the most crushing heavy bands I have seen live. 

Before they went on I knew that no amount of Viking ships, dragons, or Castles could make Amon Amarth as crushing as Cannibal Corpse. Not only was this proven true, but the weaker sound of the Swedish band bored me three songs into their set. Only made it halfway through their set and I was done.  I was glad to have caught Cannibal Corpse and I recommend you do the same thing if you have not yet been hammered in you face by these guys. 

pst266

The Top 10 Death Metal Albums of 2023

There is no shortage of inspiration for death metal these days, as death is all around us. Perhaps that is why there has been such a huge outpouring of quality death metal this year. These albums celebrate annihilation in all of its forms.   These albums captured what death metal should be with very little compromise,  After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2023. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Death Metal albums of 2023.

10-Vastum - "Inward to Gethsemane"

The longest-running death metal band on 20 Buck Spin,  released another album of thoughtful death metal. Their full-on assaults find the band being mindful of creating a mood with darker depth. They dig deeper into a more old-school death metal influence while using odd syncopated touches and atmosphere to keep from sounding like another Morbid Angel rip off.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/vastum-inward-to-gethsemane.html

 

9- 200 Stab Wounds - "Slave to the Scalpel"

 This Cleveland band is going to the pack in making raw-boned death metal that leans into the grooves. a great deal of head-banging fun, and freshens a corpse that could have rotted in the hands of less capable songwriters. There is a great deal of listenablity that adds to it's replay value earning it this spot. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/200-stab-wounds-slave-to-scalpel.html

 

8-Liquid flesh - "Delores"

When it comes to a genre that is easy to get mired down in the heavy, these guys keep the songs in mind, This album is highly entertaining with the rock twist . France once again proves they do metal well and left of center when they take a twist into a proggy adventure. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/death-is-june-liquid-flesh-dolores.html

5-Tideless - "Eye of Water"

 Tideless is from California and makes an attempt to set themselves apart in their sophomore release. They have dialed back the hyper-aggression, and embark on something that has more in common with post-rock. They do some rather sonically stunning things and are onto something remarkable here, that makes for a great listen. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/07/tideless-eye-of-water.html

 

4-Obituary-"Dying of Everything"

 I was also not expecting the thrashing ass-kicking the opening track unleashes. Any concerns regarding this album living up to their established legacy were squashed. The more Slayer-like attack is balanced out by Tardy's distinctive voice reminding you that this is Obituary with his articulate sneer. This sits solidly next to the band's more classic work, which is something many of their peers cannot boast.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/01/obituary-dying-of-everything.html

3-Cattle Decapitation- "Terrasite"

The main difference between this album and "Death Atlas" is the guitars have a more deliberate thrashing to their grooves. Things are not as blinding fast, but the riffs retain the razor-sharp aggression , but also well-constructed and hooky. The more sung vocals also come into play to give the songs more melodic depth than your average band engaging in this brand of heaviness can conjure on snarls alone.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/cattle-decapitation-terrasite.html

2-Horrendous - "Ontological Mysterium"

Horrendous extending themselves further into more of a jammy progressive, that has a more organic feel than what they did on "Idol" last time around. There are clean vocals placed at unpredictable points in the song. I appreciated guitar solos, but not someone normally impressed by shredding, take that into consideration when I tell you the guitar solos on this album improve the songs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/07/horrendous-ontological-mysterium.html

1-Frozen Soul - "Glacial Domination"

This Texas band pulls from classic death metal without worshipping any band too religiously. Their strength is taking a riff and grooving it without compromising the heaviness, In this way there is a bit of Bolt Thrower in their DNA, but not enough to lump them in with bands who are clearly trying to re-live that band's glory days. I went into this album only aware of them by name, and by the end was a fan, thanks to hooky riff magic. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/frozen-soul-glacial-domination.html

The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2023 so far ...

As the Doomsday Clock races, time speeds up, as 2023 is at it's midpoint. These  lists serve as a decent snap shot of where the year is heading in terms of music. I have already received  promos for albums dropping as far out as August in my in-box, so they are really going to need to bring it in order to compete with the top five albums on this list. There are varied shades of metal represented. Perhaps death metal is leading the charge, but there is also black metal, doom and death core in the mix.  The black metal is more influenced by traditional black metal rather than the staples of blast beating. For my ears darkness trumps speed when it comes to heavy, so these bands reflect that sentiment. Death metal just seems to be bringing it harder than other genres so far. Giving the impending wars that lurk at every corner of the globe, this is a fitting sound track to the demise of the the US.  I have included links to full review if you want to check these out and with all that said here are the top 10 Metal albums of 2023 so far. 

10- Creeping Death- "Boundless Domain" 

There is less of an old school thrash feel to "Boundless Domain" as the album's riffs adhere to more standardized shades of aggressive red.  These guys have always shown a great deal of promise in their songwriting and this album does not seem to be an exception in that .They prove to be pretty solid at what they do and there is a hooky but crushing feel to most of these songs,

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/death-is-june-creeping-death-boundless.html
 

9-PredatoryVoid - "Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being" 

Combining members of Amenra with the vocalist from Russian Black Metal band Cross Bringer, there is something dark and powerful being created here. While Lina's vocal mainly focus on more brutal harshness, she does sing some passages in a more ethereal alto . The heaviness is a like a crashing wave , it hit and then recedes with a throb. I would say these guys are more sludge than any other genre as the sonic heaviness approaches the shadows rather than bathing in them like a doom band would.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/predatory-void-seven-keys-to-discomfort.html

 

8-Left to Suffer -"Feral" 

This album continues to grow on me, as the Atlanta based metal core band proves they are not just jumping on the White Chapel band wagon. They took things in a darker direction and  seem to have have just as much in common with the bands in the nu-metal revival. These guys manage to do it in a way that is just hooky enough to keep me along for the ride.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/left-to-suffer-feral.html

7-Ahab- "Coral Tombs" 

8 years of chaos have passed since this German doom band released their last album. Chris Noir of& Ultha lends his voice to the highly aggressive black metal start of the opening track before it ebbs down into the doom you expect from this band. The croon of the baritone vocals are  delivered with more power and presented more forward in the mix. The vocals play a bigger role in the overall sound this time around. Making this epic listen something that grows on you. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/01/ahab-coral-tombs.html
 

6-Cloak-"Black Flame Eternal" 

This Atlanta band might have finally hit their creative stride with album number three. This does not mean that I am any closer to branding them a goth metal band. The elements that might bring that to one mind are perhaps more fleshed in places. The songwriting stomps with more debilitation. The influence of Dissection is still present, but tempered with a more dynamic range of sound. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/cloak-black-flame-eternal.html

 

5-Cattle Decapitation- "Terrasite" 

They have in many ways picked up where they left off on "Death Atlas" . Though the band believes they have taken a 180 turn. The main difference I can hear are the guitars have a more deliberate thrashing to their grooves. Things are not as blinding fast , but the riffs retain the razor sharp aggression , but also well constructed and hooky. They took it to the next level in terms of songwriting. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/cattle-decapitation-terrasite.html
 

 

4-the Abbey - "Word of Sin" 

Hailing from bands like Man Eating Tree and Shape of Despair, this doom band out of Finland, plays with both darkness and melody in equal portions. The use and almost gothic finery to decorate their songs with a well balanced blend of ambiance and hooky vocals, not as depressive as some doom, but possessed by a wellspring of nuanced dynamics. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-abbey-word-of-sin.html

3-Downfall of Gaia-"Silhouettes Of Disgust"

This German band already finds themselves claiming the distinction of having s one of the best black metal albums I have heard this year,  it came out back in February and still stands strong. If you like forward thinking black metal with plenty of dark disgust this album is for you.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/black-metal-history-month-downfall-of.html

 

2-Obituary- "Dying of Everything" 

 I was  not expecting the thrashing ass kicking the opening track unleashes. Any concerns regarding this album living up to their established legacy were squashed. The more Slayer like attack is balanced out by Tardy's distinctive voice reminding you that this is Obituary. This sits solidly next to the band's more classic work, which is something many of their peers cannot boast

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/01/obituary-dying-of-everything.html
 

1-Frozen Soul -"Glacial Domination"

This Texas band pulls from classic death metal without worshipping any band too religiously. Their strength is taking a riff and groove it without compromising the heaviness. Lyrically things are grim and gory with only marginal amounts of the Dungeons and Dragons escapism .I went the album not knowing anything about this band and walked away a fan which speaks volumes considering the  constant flow of death metal bands in my in-box so for these guys to stand out it speaks volumes to their talents. If you like death metal this album is a must.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/frozen-soul-glacial-domination.html

Obituary : "Dying of Everything"

 

In 1989 I first heard "Slowly We Rot" on a college radio station that played metal at midnight every Friday night.  What struck me about Obituary was the deliberate grind of guitars and John Tardy's emotive yowl that separated from the other death metal and thrash bands at the time. Their sound owed more to Celtic Frost, than Slayer or Venom. Those kinds of Celtic Frost like groove do not play as defining of a role in their new album, however I was also not expecting the thrashing ass kicking the opening track unleashes. Any concerns regarding this album living up to their established legacy were squashed. The more Slayer like attack is balanced out by Tardy's distinctive voice reminding you that this is Obituary. They bring back the head banging grooves on "Without a Conscience", Tardy's sneer  is sneer is given time articulate the agony.  

This is a great sounding record; the guitars have grit yet clarity in the dense violence they hit your ears with. "War" is a fitting anthem for 2023.It stomps like a tank. The title track finds them streamlining things into a more modern death metal sound. They rage at full speed ahead. It took a few listens for me to fully absorb this one. It is more intense and less hooky than the previous songs as it goes for the throat. "Will to Live" comes back with a groove that hits more like you expect from these guys, with Tardy's scowling vocals spewed to satisfaction. The main verse riff is chugged with a great deal of authority. "By the Dawn" finds the band doing what they used to but pumped up to contend with what the expectations of today's metal heads might be. This can also be heard on "Weaponize the Hate". Which seems to be a very telling commentary on the world today.   

There is a pretty powerful gallop to "Torn Apart". The guitar solos are more rock n roll throughout the album, but most noticed here, the last song has more guts and menace to it as it is also the more ominous in its slower crunch, which feels perhaps the most like their glory days of slowly rotting.  I will round this up to a 10, which puts this solidly next to the bands more classic work, which is something many of their peers cannot boast.  

Death is June - the Top 50 Death Metal Albums of All Time - 30 to 21

-

Normally I try to limit it to one album per artist. With death metal it tends to unify around certain works, so you might have hundreds of bands trying to be Morbid Angel. This means that some artists are more impactful. They made an impact because of the quality of their work so if they have released abums that are so dominating to the genre that they deserve multiple slots, only two bands got three slot, four other bands took two slots. There is a wide array of sub genre's represented here, granted this is my list so darker more satanic death metal and progressive death metal might out number tech death or grind core. Not al ofthe bands remained death metal bands , but they made a death metal album deserving of this list. If I have reviewed said album then I will include the link to the review.  Ok, it's death metal not quantum mechanics , so here we go .



30-Necros Christos -"Doom of the Occult" 2011


The album that got me into this band that flies the "occult death metal" banner the highest. What does that even mean? Well really fucking dark.


 





29-Incantation - "Dirges of Elysium" 2014


 Better riffs and more dynamic than "Onward to Galgotha"


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/11/incantation-dirges-of-elysium.html



 


28-GoatWhore - "Vengeful Ascension" 2017


 With the blackness out of their system they settled down on made an awesome death metal album.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/05/goatwhore-vengeful-ascension.html



 



27- VADER- "Return to the Morbid Reich" 2011


 In the midway into their career they hit the perfect songwriting blend of thrash and death metal.



 



 26-ACID WITCH - "EVIL SOUND SCREAMERS"2017


 Halloween death metal ...how can you go wrong ? You can't



 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/10/gothtober-acid-witch-evil-sound.html



  >



25-Morbid Angel - "Domination" 1995



1995 The last great David Vincent album.


 




24- Mortuary Drape - "Spiritual Independence"



Italian blackened death metal, bigger on being creepy than blast beats .


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/12/mortuary-drape-spiritual-independence.html



 



23-Obituary -" World Demise"1994

When this album came out I was not ready for it. Listening back you can hear how fucking crushing it is and one of the few 90s abums where production stood the test of time.






22-Deicide -" Legion" 1992



 Relentless from the moment you press play and they never let up.


 



21-Sepultura - "Beneath the Remains" 1989 



 When this album came out it felt like it was ahead of it's time. Now the rest of the world has caught up to it



.


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Death is June - "the End Complete" vs "World Demise"

I had so much fun pitting "Slowly We Rot" against "Cause of Death" I decided I needed to to the same with "the End Complete" and "World Demise".  The 1992 album might have the advantage over their 1994 one , but I have never gone track by track to see how they stack up against one another so here we go.

"I'm in Pain"  vs " Don't Care"

Wow , where the scales are tipped here is production wise "Don't Care" is more in your face and urgent.

EC-

WD- 1

"Back to One" vs " World Demise"

'Back to One" is a good song the title track is just more powerful.

EC-
WD-2

"Dead Silent" vs ""Burned in"

"Dead Silent" is one of my favorite Obituary songs, so very little contest here.

EC 1
WD 2

 ' In the End of Life " vs "Redefine"

The further we get into the 90s the weirder of a time it gets for metal. "End Compete" can not touch it in terms of production so where were they as song writers? These are two very different types of songs but "Redefine" is better

EC 1
WD 3

"Sickness"  vs  " Paralyzing"

"Sickness" has a nasty punk thing to it's attitude that does not compensate against the more weighted chug of the other song.

EC 1
WD 4

"Corrosive" vs "Lost"

"Corrisive " edges out the more powerful lost , just on the merties of better writing.

EC 2
WD 4

 "Killing Time" vs "Solid State"

As "the End Complete" progresses the songs get stronger, so we are seeing it become a battle of sound vs songs. Songs always win.

EC 3
WD 4

 'End Complete"  vs  " Splattered "

Very close, both great songs the title track edges it out.

EC 4
WD 4


"Rotting Ways" vs "Final Thoughts"

"Final Thoughts" just has catchier punches and is more nuanced writing.  Making the winner 'World Demise"  5 to 4

The Top 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time : 20 -11

Now we are heading into the top 20. I have made changes to the top spots as I have been going through and giving these albums repeat listens ,as a great deal of this goes off feel. After all that is what heavy is . It's not playing fast, it's how that playing hits you. You might not see your favorite albums here, because well they just are not as heavy as these. Are there more popular album's than these... yes, but this is not the top 50 most popular metal albums of all time, it's the top 50 heaviest. I do not want to hear the top 50 most popular metal albums as that has to suck , probably a bunch of Slipnot bullshit. Ok here we go.. 

20- Deicide - "Once Upon the Cross"

This 1995 finds the band not only found the band fine tuning their songwriting, but they created a brutal satanic steamroller of sound. 

19- Obituary - "World Demise"

This album is not their best, but this is not a list of the best metal albums, it's a list of the heaviest. Some of this is owed to the production, but the end result is it's heavier than the likes of "Slowly We Rot" . 

18-LNN- "Deads"


This band from Denmark proved themselves as one of the heaviest hard core bands going today with this album. The riff's carry tons of pressure when they hit you. 

17 Ruin- "Human Annihilation"

Death metal doesn't have to be satanic, it can also worship death! This sounds like the kind of death metal a serial killer would listen to as it's so ugly and malevolent in it's attack. 

16- Phobia - "Generation Coward"

Hardcore with a grind core like attitude. This album is confrontational. The lyrics are as heavy as the music by being so blunt and truthful. Talk shit and their fucking riffs will punch you in the fucking 
mouth

.

15-Gorgoroth- "Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam" 


The Ghaal years are the greatest. Vicious is the best word to describe their sound. Some one online was asking what was or was not Satanism , my thoughts all condensed the topic into one simple fact...if you are living your life like a Gorgoroth lyric you are doing Satanism right. This is the sound of Satan done right. 

14-Incantation- "Onward to Golgotha"

Death doom as we know it today was spawned by this album. I remember being blown away with how heavy this album was when it came out in 1992 and it still holds up. 

13- Electric Wizard - "Dopethrone"


Of all the bands on this list these guys owe the most to Sabbath. Their guitar sound is bigger and more blown out here. The vocals are like if Ozzy was into meth instead of cocaine. Most importantly is where most doom lumbers this album tramples. 

12--Slayer - "Hell Awaits" 


If one album influenced the birth of death metal it might be this 1985 thrash classic. "Why is "Reign in Blood" not on here instead?" You scream. Well this album is darker. It is tied with 'South of Heaven" as my favorite Slayer album. While "South of Heaven" is a great album it's not heavy enough to even be number 50 in this list. 

11- Neurosis - "Through Silver and Blood" 


This album is so post apocalyptic it's beautiful. In 1996 this album was way ahead of it's time. It is so heavy it makes you bang your head through the floor. It should have been in the top 10 , but a couple other albums made me reconsider what is heavy. 

The Weekly Playlist : Apocalypse Edition

What is even more discouraging than a wimpy apocalypse play list is a metal musician saying they can not take any more gloom and doom. Yes, this came up on my Facebook feed. No, they were not joking.Well not only will an apocalypse thin the herd, but the very threat of one will show us who the fucking poseurs are. Death should be celebrated. Why listen to death metal and not celebrate death? It is the only thing that is certain. Why be afraid of it ? Oh, people are afraid. Hoping their city gets shut down, so they get permission to give up and not face the world out side. Here I am hoping for some Mad Max level shit so I have an excuse to try out cannibalism and ride the wasteland as Lord Humongous. This could literally come down to survival of the fittest. Could is the operative word. Every apocalypse I have looked forward to has let me down. In a few weeks things will return to the boring status quo and I will still remember all of you who were hiding  under your beds wanting something happy. Here is a fitting playlist for the rest of you who celebrate chaos like I do. Next week I will make you guys the dystopian future industrial play list , until here is your metal.



Obituary- 'Infected"





Sepultura - "Dead Embryonic Cells" 






Voivod - "Bacteria"






 Morbid Angel - "Angel of Disease" 





Anaal Nathrakh- "the Apocalypse is About You"


 


Slayer - " Epidemic"


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Cattle Decapitation- "Bring Back the Plague "


 


Asphyx - "Last One On Earth"


 

Integrity - "Dawn of a New Apocalypse" 






Behemoth- "Christgrinding Ave" 

Obituary : " S/T "

T

Tampa legends are still a finely tuned machine at what they do the first song is just much more uptempo than what I remember them doing and has less of the Celtic Frost stomp to it. John Tardy's voice still has isn't signature torment belch to it. The second song is cut from the same mold as the first so I am hoping they switch things up by the time we get to "Lesson In Vengeance" .  The guitar solos play it much safer than what I remember hearing from these guys in the late 80's . There is more of the Celtic Frost gallop when "Lesson in Vengeance" kicks in. Bass player Terry Butler from Six Feet Under  and former Andrew WK guitarist Kenny Andrews man their battle stations with vigor.

There is a more guttural hint to Tardy's voice on "End it Now" which has a much more solid groove. I don't hear the same amount of personality invested in "Kneel Before Me" , which sounds a little like they jacked some Morbid Angel. There is another repeating moment that we felt earlier in the album where it seems "It Lives " just picks up where "Kneel Before Me" left off. "Betrayed" finds the pace picking up and it is still clear that these guys are great at what they do, it just sounds like that is being coupled with a need to fit into death metal as a whole. The more deliberate groove reminds me of the band's more classic work. Tardy's phrasing is unique to what he does and is something aspiring death metal bands should take note of. The high impact guitar solo seems like it is a little out of place , but as a whole the song works more than it doesn't.


There is a slight hardcore hint to "Straight to Hell" . I really like when the song slows midway in. I am totally ok with the idea of laying down my peaceful vision on "Ten Thousand ways to Die" as it's groove is hard to not head bang at your desk to. While this album is a solid slab of death metal that holds up against younger bands I would like to have heard this done in a manner that as more in commong with the sound of  "Slowly We Rot". I'll give it an 8. .