Review by Alex on November 9, 2019.

UK doom/death metal band The Drowning subscribe to the sorrowful side of the sub-genre remaining loyal to the dirge since their formation in 2003 which has seen some lineup changes through the years. The Radiant Dark is their 5th full length record that upon first listen I completely enjoyed. Usually I am not a fan of this type of metal especially when factoring its run-time and depressive tones, but The Radiant Dark resides in a grey area of sorts which made my listening manageable. It's not quite melancholic, rather it leans towards agony than that sobbing sound I hear most times in association with this type of music. This branch of death/doom is of the modern spawning influenced by early Finish funeral/death/doom, a sorrowful undertaking lauded by old timers and current devotees. However, there's a clean production that comes with this somewhat newly cut fruit that combines the slow, cripple, crestfallen, funeral doom with death/doom that could be a bit of a turnoff for most people who prefer the dirtier side of the genre. But I tell you what, at least it’s not modern melodic death metal played by some over-hyped/praised, well below-average band, cause then there would be no contesting not listening to this.

Seeing The Drowning possessed a decent amount of recordings under their belt with ideal gaps between releases raised my chances of giving The Radiant Dark a spin; after 17+ years of producing tunes and being signed to a good underground label most likely meant they must be good at what they do. To my liking results of the more desirable aspects resonated or more suitably came to light on The Radiant Dark. For a 57 minute record it surely does not feel that way, I remember the album coming to a pause that left me wondering when the next song would begin, to my shock and amusement, it turned-out the The Radiant Dark had ended; if that's not a direct reflection and result of immersion then I don't know what else to say, and no I was not sleeping during the album's playtime.

I think the primary attribute that propelled this is The Drowning's almost underhanded/quiet/blindsided/clever way of introducing new melodies, tempos and climaxes through their transitions. You'll notice following the opener 'Alpha Orionis' which leads into that Draconian sort of funeral/death/doom dirge, the music is heavy through the immense vocals and power-chord combo that rings throughout 'The Triumph of the Wolf in Death'; however, with each passing moment very thin layers are removed through the fading pitch of the guitars, then comes the sudden break that leads into a repeat of the opening, only this time there are no power-chords and the guitars are significantly lighter and played with melody adding a direct contrast to the harsh and deep growls by Matt. 'The Triumph of the Wolf in Death is The Drowning's formula of achieving that grey area of sorts I had mentioned earlier. They hint at approaching diversions but don't commit to them when you would imagine, almost in teasing fashion they poke at it until you've relinquished your assumption.

Each song acts as a link to prior and upcoming entries, like they are all playing on behalf of a single vision, hence each moment, each note and vocal sung, uttered or dispelled acts in coherence with the main theme behind the music. And that's something I admire, when the artwork and music interact intimately with each other in bringing the music full-circle. With every song offering something different it’s fairly difficult to write off anything as being repetitious. The ambiance and melodicism of 'Prometheus Blinded' revels in and establishes an emerging luminosity interrupted as 'In Cold Earth is introduced with fragmenting despair and a somberness taking the listener to a descent with the monolithic unearthing of 'I Carve the Heart from the Universe' that pours all agony into 'Blood Marks My Grave' in closing. You will notice between the familiarity of the soundscape lies a flavorful array of styles merged, from traditional heavy metal to groove and crossover on some occasions, conditioning and refreshing the music as you carry on.

Mike (guitars), Jason (guitars), Matt (vocals), Richard (bass) and Steve (drums) make this milestone of a record a special showcase. Having that reliability on your musicians in knowing each member will provide something of high value to the total output is priceless because not only do you get the satisfaction of completion but that of unity also. It is through this The Radiant Dark is a starlit gem within a flooded sub-genre pressured and submerged in monotonous linearity.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Alex on November 9, 2019.

UK doom/death metal band The Drowning subscribe to the sorrowful side of the sub-genre remaining loyal to the dirge since their formation in 2003 which has seen some lineup changes through the years. The Radiant Dark is their 5th full length record that upon first listen I completely enjoyed. Usually I am not a fan of this type of metal especially when factoring its run-time and depressive tones, but The Radiant Dark resides in a grey area of sorts which made my listening manageable. It's not quite melancholic, rather it leans towards agony than that sobbing sound I hear most times in association with this type of music. This branch of death/doom is of the modern spawning influenced by early Finish funeral/death/doom, a sorrowful undertaking lauded by old timers and current devotees. However, there's a clean production that comes with this somewhat newly cut fruit that combines the slow, cripple, crestfallen, funeral doom with death/doom that could be a bit of a turnoff for most people who prefer the dirtier side of the genre. But I tell you what, at least it’s not modern melodic death metal played by some over-hyped/praised, well below-average band, cause then there would be no contesting not listening to this.

Seeing The Drowning possessed a decent amount of recordings under their belt with ideal gaps between releases raised my chances of giving The Radiant Dark a spin; after 17+ years of producing tunes and being signed to a good underground label most likely meant they must be good at what they do. To my liking results of the more desirable aspects resonated or more suitably came to light on The Radiant Dark. For a 57 minute record it surely does not feel that way, I remember the album coming to a pause that left me wondering when the next song would begin, to my shock and amusement, it turned-out the The Radiant Dark had ended; if that's not a direct reflection and result of immersion then I don't know what else to say, and no I was not sleeping during the album's playtime.

I think the primary attribute that propelled this is The Drowning's almost underhanded/quiet/blindsided/clever way of introducing new melodies, tempos and climaxes through their transitions. You'll notice following the opener 'Alpha Orionis' which leads into that Draconian sort of funeral/death/doom dirge, the music is heavy through the immense vocals and power-chord combo that rings throughout 'The Triumph of the Wolf in Death'; however, with each passing moment very thin layers are removed through the fading pitch of the guitars, then comes the sudden break that leads into a repeat of the opening, only this time there are no power-chords and the guitars are significantly lighter and played with melody adding a direct contrast to the harsh and deep growls by Matt. 'The Triumph of the Wolf in Death is The Drowning's formula of achieving that grey area of sorts I had mentioned earlier. They hint at approaching diversions but don't commit to them when you would imagine, almost in teasing fashion they poke at it until you've relinquished your assumption.

Each song acts as a link to prior and upcoming entries, like they are all playing on behalf of a single vision, hence each moment, each note and vocal sung, uttered or dispelled acts in coherence with the main theme behind the music. And that's something I admire, when the artwork and music interact intimately with each other in bringing the music full-circle. With every song offering something different it’s fairly difficult to write off anything as being repetitious. The ambiance and melodicism of 'Prometheus Blinded' revels in and establishes an emerging luminosity interrupted as 'In Cold Earth is introduced with fragmenting despair and a somberness taking the listener to a descent with the monolithic unearthing of 'I Carve the Heart from the Universe' that pours all agony into 'Blood Marks My Grave' in closing. You will notice between the familiarity of the soundscape lies a flavorful array of styles merged, from traditional heavy metal to groove and crossover on some occasions, conditioning and refreshing the music as you carry on.

Mike (guitars), Jason (guitars), Matt (vocals), Richard (bass) and Steve (drums) make this milestone of a record a special showcase. Having that reliability on your musicians in knowing each member will provide something of high value to the total output is priceless because not only do you get the satisfaction of completion but that of unity also. It is through this The Radiant Dark is a starlit gem within a flooded sub-genre pressured and submerged in monotonous linearity.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Alex on March 1, 2024.

Skeletal Remains are at least 26 years late with this release. What is presented on Devouring Mortality is neither new nor innovative. It has been done much better by countless death metal bands in the early 90s and is still being done by bands such as Cannibal Corpse and Pestilence. Skeletal Remains attempt to mix the vocals of Death's Chuck Schuldiner and the musical techniques of Cannibal Corpse, Pestilence (early) and the riff work of Suffocation (good luck with the Suffocation part). As a result of its poor execution, the album suffers greatly in terms of its coherence.

The first track feels very soulless and does not readily engage or picks at the listener's interest. This continues up until "Devouring Mortality" which is the 4th track; that's about 20 minutes until I truly felt like listening to the complete album. "Devouring Mortality" is a much better song that features arguably the best guitar work solo-wise and is one of the shorter tracks on the album. The song blends some key elements of the aforementioned bands into one cohesive ball of rhythmic synergy. After hearing it, I was much more eager to hear what would follow next. Unfortunately, the very next track, "Torture Labyrinth", decided to drag me back to the uneventfulness of the first 3 tracks and torture me. This was such a bummer; it poured water on the candle that was lit after hearing "Devouring Mortality"; what was even worse is that I had to wait until "Parasitic Horrors" before my interest was reignited.

"Parasitic Horrors" is not devoid of filler; however, It keeps it at a minimal level, perhaps the lowest on the album. It does what "Devouring Mortality" did but to much greater effect. The pace of the song begins at a moderate speed and is then ramped up after the catchy guitar solo. For once I actually found the thrashing sections of the song to be a welcoming feature in comparison to the prior tracks with the exception of "Devouring Mortality". My interest had peaked again but unfortunately not for very long.

The 3 tracks following "Parasitic Horrors" made an attempt at maintaining my interest but fell short in doing so. "Lifeless Manifestation" was one of those "hmmmm" tracks but with a huge question mark at the end. The remainder of the album resembled a rollercoaster, with "Reanimating Pathogen" lacking any validity thus resulting in an easily forgotten effort. Then we take the high road as the rollercoaster climbs to perhaps the best track on the album "Internal Detestation". This track is crushing, it lasts for 4:09 and mashes the gas pedal with its full weight. Like on a drag racing strip; it revs, hits top speed and makes its exit at the finish line. This is what the album should have consisted of, fast memorable tracks.

The production is excellent, the guitar work is good enough, the drumming is nothing special and the vocals, though not to my liking, is ok (I'm using "ok" forgivingly). The artwork is very reminiscent of the style found on Suffocations "Souls To Deny". There is also a short section featuring something you would hear on a Rings of Saturn release that can be found on the track "Mortal Decimation". And that's about all the positives about Devouring Mortality.

If you're going to implement styles from different death metal bands, it is imperative that you do so strategically, such that the album has synergism, rather than resemble a scattered gaffe of marbles.

Rating: 2.9 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on July 20, 2019.

Definitely some solid death metal in the vein of Death/Pestilence/Obituary etc. I would have to say that some of the guitar riffs reflected that of Death's "Spiritual Healing." Very similar vibe to it. The music and production quality make up for that aspect. This one I thought is a better listen to than their previous album, though I thought both were pretty strong.

This is for sure a better produced album than the previous album Condemned To Misery. The vocals are the same, but the production quality is top notch on this one. The guitar riffs are catchy, not necessarily too fast but the leads are wicked. I enjoyed that aspect of the guitars, too. Not just the riffs, I felt the leads were very well conducted. The music is solid death metal with tints of melodic parts in it as well. They really do know how to make some quality music. The main rhythms are heavy alongside the melodic parts, very good and well-orchestrated music altogether. This one I was skeptical about but when I heard it for the first time I was blown away. The production is what I noticed at first to be very strong. And the music totally a joy to listen to for death metal lovers.

Be a supporter of extreme metal and purchase this one, show the band that you are interested and want them to stay around for a while. This one is one you can't leave out of your death metal collection!

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on July 20, 2019.

This album is atypical for me not because it's melodic death, but it's because it's a mix of melodic death and metalcore. That shouldn't be any reason not to like about this album, it's because it's just different to me. The music is a mixture of riff-laden rhythms which is cool because it's a really original sounding release. Them mixing melodic death with metalcore makes the album unique. The fact that this is a combination of the two genres of metal makes it not knowing what to expect in the musical category. I liked this from start to finish, though I think that they could've done a little better on the leads. Other than that criticism, the music makes up for it.

Hearing this first digitally made me like it because it dives through all different kinds of guitars, vocals and the production is of sound quality. There seems to be a lot of heart to this. The sounds of the guitars are unique and mostly distorted tone. But there are clean guitars on here, too. They seem to like to change up the tempos here. Mostly it's distorted guitar riffs and nothing that over exceedingly heavy. This band has a lot of offer the metal community. They're like I said, atypical but still doggone intriguing to listen to. I like the distorted guitar rhythms and they shift from that to clean, hence the metalcore vibe. I'm not a huge fan of metalcore, but some of it on here is all right.

These guys need to be heard by the masses of metal fans. Their music is quite interesting. A lot of down picked guitar along with tremolo picking overtures as they swing from tempo to tempo. It's quite interesting that they're able to do this. The vocals are pretty cool, not really a deep throat sound but hoarse with some clean tone in there. I would give the album a higher rating if the music would've stayed consistently intense. The whole album is odd. The melodies are quite swift, and the vocals go well along with the guitars. Definitely unique sounds altogether.

If you haven't heard this band, do yourself a favor and hear them. You'll probably come to the same conclusion as I, weird but unique.  If you're a guitar player, maybe you'd understand some of my jargon about the guitars. Check them out and if you like what you hear, support the band and order the CD. It's worth it. I know some tracks taper off sounding out of place, but overall this album is a "B" to me. I liked it enough and gave it a fair shake. Check them out, they're really strange but different and I mean that in a good way.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on July 20, 2019.

This album is atypical for me not because it's melodic death, but it's because it's a mix of melodic death and metalcore. That shouldn't be any reason not to like about this album, it's because it's just different to me. The music is a mixture of riff-laden rhythms which is cool because it's a really original sounding release. Them mixing melodic death with metalcore makes the album unique. The fact that this is a combination of the two genres of metal makes it not knowing what to expect in the musical category. I liked this from start to finish, though I think that they could've done a little better on the leads. Other than that criticism, the music makes up for it.

Hearing this first digitally made me like it because it dives through all different kinds of guitars, vocals and the production is of sound quality. There seems to be a lot of heart to this. The sounds of the guitars are unique and mostly distorted tone. But there are clean guitars on here, too. They seem to like to change up the tempos here. Mostly it's distorted guitar riffs and nothing that over exceedingly heavy. This band has a lot of offer the metal community. They're like I said, atypical but still doggone intriguing to listen to. I like the distorted guitar rhythms and they shift from that to clean, hence the metalcore vibe. I'm not a huge fan of metalcore, but some of it on here is all right.

These guys need to be heard by the masses of metal fans. Their music is quite interesting. A lot of down picked guitar along with tremolo picking overtures as they swing from tempo to tempo. It's quite interesting that they're able to do this. The vocals are pretty cool, not really a deep throat sound but hoarse with some clean tone in there. I would give the album a higher rating if the music would've stayed consistently intense. The whole album is odd. The melodies are quite swift, and the vocals go well along with the guitars. Definitely unique sounds altogether.

If you haven't heard this band, do yourself a favor and hear them. You'll probably come to the same conclusion as I, weird but unique.  If you're a guitar player, maybe you'd understand some of my jargon about the guitars. Check them out and if you like what you hear, support the band and order the CD. It's worth it. I know some tracks taper off sounding out of place, but overall this album is a "B" to me. I liked it enough and gave it a fair shake. Check them out, they're really strange but different and I mean that in a good way.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Elijah on January 16, 2020.

Boundless Obscenity is undoubtedly Brain Drill's most matured album yet, (although I thought the last album was completely fine too). Most the stuff that the band has put out has been kind of all over the place without a care, but when they got to the studio to record what will be their last and final album, they stepped up their overall game.

This band gets shat on a lot due to the unnecessary guitar masturbation which occurs in pretty much every song by these guys, but on this album Dylan has seemed to put together the guitar parts as best and tight as he can. The riffs are solid and consistent, particularly the opening riffs on every track, they aren't all that messy like usual, rather more solid and structured as I just mentioned. Obviously I have to point out the guitar work since this is a Brain Drill review, as it's the base of all Brain Drill criticism. Aside from the main constant riffs, the playing is generally improved to the best quality for an album like this. All the songs have their own flow and don't fall in a pool of randomness or dullness, they manage to stay up strong and consistent until the album ends. The best song of the album is 'Infinite Oblivion', it's the main highlight of the album.

Aside from the guitars we have to talk about the other things too, of course. The drumming is magnificent, seriously. For a live studio drummer, this man has got it all. Alex maintains a constant speed and tempo and does fills and blasting perfectly without messing up, it's pretty much just as accurate as a drum machine would be, he's one of the many human drum machines in the metal community. You also just can't go wrong with the gravity/hyper blasts, which he also has too. It's scattered all throughout this album and they're all perfect. Along with Alex's great drumming, the production and the type of sound the drums have increase the basic quality of the drumming. You can’t go wrong with a good drummer and very good drum production. Another big part of the usual critique of this band is the over-the-top drumming, which has disappeared slightly with this release. Good drum work with less filler stuff, and more stylish things instead. The vocals are just alright, nothing amazing at all. Decent at best. The vocals are the worst part about this album, but they aren't TERRIBLE. Just decent enough and makeshift for an album like this. The work of the band's past primary vocalist was better (mainly in Quantum Catastrophe). If the vocals on this album were done by Steve Rathjen and sounded like how he was on Quantum Catastrophe, or a vocalist similar to that, it'd be much better. Again, the vocals on this album aren't bad, they're just makeshift, amateur, and decent.

This album is good for sure, but you definitely have to be in the mood for it. Despite what I all said, this album can be kinda cheesy and stale sometimes, but only sometimes. Other than that, it's again a good album. I'm a huge Brain Drill fan, I don't want to point out the bad things in this, but you just have to; obviously. Solid album but not flawless.

Boundless Obscenity is clearly the band's most improved and structured work. It's enjoyable, tolerable, and not all that bad. Although it's not an album that I consider a favorite or listen to a lot, I'm not going to deny at all that this is a straight banger album.

Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Review by Alex on January 22, 2020.

Another reason to get yourself some huge fucking speakers and powerful amps, Necrobode assault the scene again, this time with their full-length Sob O Feitiço Do Necrobode (Under the Necrobode Spell). Get ready for black/death metal that'll tear the skin from your face, if their 2018 demo was not enough to fulfill your desecrated appetite then chew on this barbed wire bat. Their demo was already an impressive feat considering they gave us original tracks that could have easily passed as a full length, I'm surprised it was never released on vinyl. But to re-enter the dungeon and work up a more violent yet musically superior incantation speaks of the dedication members involved with this Portuguese affiliation have. I usually don't like attending concerts/gigs but I would not mind seeing a live performance of this material by Necrobode.

Unlike the populace of black/death metal Necrobode don't rely on blistering fast blast beats and carnivorous vocals, rather their strength lies within an addicting groove they spit out via some mean fucking riffs and catchy drumming. The vocalist has a commanding tone to his growl, it's not entirely of death nor black metal, its closer to sounding as through a cyborg is growling through a clogged pipe or something of the sort. Its distinctive in comparison to the traditional bark/snarl/growl, you'd easily identify them when heard, and with added reverberating effect, that inhuman factor is amplified. This combined with their trademark method of playing gives them an edge over other bands in this style of black/death metal. A much needed and valuable facet to have considering how populated the scene has become following 89, some bands good, most bands shit.

As stated the music itself has grown to towering heights above their 2018 demo, the primary formula is the same as before and some may even argue that some songs are far too identical to each other. While that may be true to some extent, be minded scrutinizing the riffs, the main discernible characteristic giving each entry its own identity. I think Necrobode quickly realized what it was that garnered them such massive support and decided to keep that critical element apart of their music. But simultaneously, made certain not to saturate their songs with one consistent tempo, instead taking some steps away from their tried n' true methodology by including diverse but memorable patterns through the use of catchy drum fills as heard on the addicting 'Penetração Diabólica'. 'Tumba Universal' and 'Santo Santuário Do Ódio'. They carry similar pacing but feature different instrumental keys as can also be heard on 'Satanás Governa' and 'Culto Da Intolerância', similar tempo, different riffs.

The tunes on here are all great, the licks have much to do with that. You won't find one lazy combination of strings, offensive as a swarm of locust, the string work on here stings mercilessly. Meanwhile, governed by a bassy production, the songs resonate in your consciousness highly favoring repeated listens. My only gripe with Necrobode's debut demo was that it ended with 5 minutes or so of a sample that really did nothing beneficial to the album, instead coming across as wasted time. At this juncture, Sob O Feitiço Do Necrobode concludes in similar manner but with less time so as to not cloud the overall pleasure of the record. A timely and impressive follow-up none-the-less, Sob O Feitiço Do Necrobode is the awakening of a new beast in the underground.

Rating: 9.2 out of 10

Review by Alex on January 22, 2020.

Another reason to get yourself some huge fucking speakers and powerful amps, Necrobode assault the scene again, this time with their full-length Sob O Feitiço Do Necrobode (Under the Necrobode Spell). Get ready for black/death metal that'll tear the skin from your face, if their 2018 demo was not enough to fulfill your desecrated appetite then chew on this barbed wire bat. Their demo was already an impressive feat considering they gave us original tracks that could have easily passed as a full length, I'm surprised it was never released on vinyl. But to re-enter the dungeon and work up a more violent yet musically superior incantation speaks of the dedication members involved with this Portuguese affiliation have. I usually don't like attending concerts/gigs but I would not mind seeing a live performance of this material by Necrobode.

Unlike the populace of black/death metal Necrobode don't rely on blistering fast blast beats and carnivorous vocals, rather their strength lies within an addicting groove they spit out via some mean fucking riffs and catchy drumming. The vocalist has a commanding tone to his growl, it's not entirely of death nor black metal, its closer to sounding as through a cyborg is growling through a clogged pipe or something of the sort. Its distinctive in comparison to the traditional bark/snarl/growl, you'd easily identify them when heard, and with added reverberating effect, that inhuman factor is amplified. This combined with their trademark method of playing gives them an edge over other bands in this style of black/death metal. A much needed and valuable facet to have considering how populated the scene has become following 89, some bands good, most bands shit.

As stated the music itself has grown to towering heights above their 2018 demo, the primary formula is the same as before and some may even argue that some songs are far too identical to each other. While that may be true to some extent, be minded scrutinizing the riffs, the main discernible characteristic giving each entry its own identity. I think Necrobode quickly realized what it was that garnered them such massive support and decided to keep that critical element apart of their music. But simultaneously, made certain not to saturate their songs with one consistent tempo, instead taking some steps away from their tried n' true methodology by including diverse but memorable patterns through the use of catchy drum fills as heard on the addicting 'Penetração Diabólica'. 'Tumba Universal' and 'Santo Santuário Do Ódio'. They carry similar pacing but feature different instrumental keys as can also be heard on 'Satanás Governa' and 'Culto Da Intolerância', similar tempo, different riffs.

The tunes on here are all great, the licks have much to do with that. You won't find one lazy combination of strings, offensive as a swarm of locust, the string work on here stings mercilessly. Meanwhile, governed by a bassy production, the songs resonate in your consciousness highly favoring repeated listens. My only gripe with Necrobode's debut demo was that it ended with 5 minutes or so of a sample that really did nothing beneficial to the album, instead coming across as wasted time. At this juncture, Sob O Feitiço Do Necrobode concludes in similar manner but with less time so as to not cloud the overall pleasure of the record. A timely and impressive follow-up none-the-less, Sob O Feitiço Do Necrobode is the awakening of a new beast in the underground.

Rating: 9.2 out of 10