German progressive death metal masters, OBSCURA, are set to return to the U.S. this spring for the ‘Stardust Tour.’ The 18-date run begins on March 15th at the legendary Whisky-A-Go-Go in Hollywood, includes key stops in Austin, Philadelphia, and Detroit, and concludes on April 3rd in Roseville, CA. They will be joined by ALLEGAEON, COGNITIVE, and CRYPTOSIS.
Tickets for the tour will be available on Friday, December 19th at 10:00 PST.
Confirmed dates for OBSCURA‘s ‘Stardust’ US 2026 tour with ALLEGAEON, COGNITIVE, and CRYPTOSIS are:
03.13.2026 USA Los Angeles, CA @ Whisky-A-Go-Go 03.14.2026 USA Tucson, AZ @ The Rock 03.15.2026 USA El Paso, TX @ Rockhouse Bar & Grill 03.16.2026 USA Austin, TX @ Come And Take It Live 03.17.2026 USA Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th Street Collective 03.18.2026 USA Haltom City, TX @ Haltom Theater 03.23.2026 USA Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts 03.24.2026 USA Brooklyn, NY @ The Meadows 03.25.2026 USA Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom 03.26.2026 USA Rochester, NY @ Photo City Music All 03.27.2026 USA Lakewood, OH @ Mercury Music Lounge 03.28.2026 USA Detroit, MI @ The Sanctuary 03.29.2026 USA Joilet, IL @ The Forge 03.30.2026 USA Kansas City, MO @ Warehouse On Broadway 03.31.2026 USA Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep 04.01.2026 USA Salt Late City, UT @ Aces High Saloon 04.02.2026 USA Reno, NV @ Club Underground 04.03.2026 USA Roseville, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post
Iron Fortress Records presents the inaugural IRON FORTRESS DEATH FEST 2025, a full day of death metal depravity featuring a sample of the Iron Fortress label roster that is taking place in just over one week.
The IRON FORTRESS DEATH FEST is a label showcase that highlights the supreme debauchery of what Iron Fortress Records has to offer and includes sets by Gored Embrace, Chorus Of Demons, Hamarr, Swampgrave, Dysmorphia, 1 Body 6 Graves, Scab Hag, Ripped Open, Coagulating, Cell Intruder, Ectospire, and Cryptual.
IRON FORTRESS DEATH FEST will take place Saturday, October 18th at The Black Circle in Indianapolis, Indiana, beginning at 2:00pm. Tickets will be $30 day-of the event, but can be acquired for $20 in advance.
Ben DePaoli, sole owner and operator of Iron Fortress Records and this event, states, “It’s time to gather into the inner sanctum of the Iron Fortress and explore its stench ridden corridors! IRON FORTRESS DEATH FEST was put together to showcase the Iron Fortress Records label roster which is chock full of young and underground death metal bands eager for bloodshed. I can’t wait to gather all these incredible bands into one cavernous day of death metal. Come hang out, watch some brutality, mingle with the bands and I, throw back some demon juice, and headbang until you need a pain pill for your newly formed spinal injury!”
View the full IRON FORTRESS DEATH FEST lineup and set times below. Tickets are available now at THIS LOCATION.
IRON FORTRESS DEATH FEST Lineup – October 18th, 2025: Doors 2:00 Ripped Open 3:00-3:25 Ectospire 3:40-4:05 Cell Intruder 4:20-4:45 1 Body 6 Graves 5:00-5:25 Cryptual 5:40-6:05 Scab Hag 6:20-6:45 Coagulating 7:00-7:25 Dysmorphia 7:40-8:05 Swampgrave 8:20-8:45 Hamarr 9:00-9:25 Chorus of Demons 9:40-10:05 Decedent 10:20-10:45
Cascading Misery, the suffocating and ominous debut album from Pittsburgh-based death metal quartet RITUAL MASS, is now streaming ahead of its release this Friday on 20 Buck Spin.
The debut full-length album from RITUAL MASS is more than a collection of songs, it’s a series of calculated assaults on the virtue of the holy. Evolving beyond earlier EP and demo releases, Cascading Misery encapsulates the bludgeoning infliction of pain and the slow peel of skin by flame, rife with both sonic chaos and extinguished hope.
From the outset of album opener “Obsidian Mirror,” the atmosphere is oppressive, thick with a suffocating malaise. There is a sense of something ceremonial at work but not in a way that seeks communion. Rather it’s ordeal as sacrament. Riffs strangle and churn into convulsive submission, oscillating from slow agony to psychotic break, over which a guttural lament so savage it freezes the blood is wrenched through dungeon stone.
Each track unfolds like time spent in isolation, bound by chains, the mind slowly unraveling and surrounded by memories of torment both real and imagined. By the time the epic 14-minute album closer “Disquiet” dissipates into a mass of formless static, RITUAL MASS has dragged you into a world where suffering is not an end but a condition of existence. Cascading Misery is music for the dissolution of hope, the terror of being, and the long march toward death.
Cascading Misery was engineered by Greg Wilkinson at Mr. Smalls Recording Studio in Pittsburgh, with vocal tracking engineered by John Kerr, and mixed/mastered by Wilkinson at his Earhammer Studios in Oakland (Ulthar, Autopsy, Undergang, Vastum). The cover painting, logo, and layout were done by RITUAL MASS’s P. Trona with additional artwork by Bo Orr and Erik Von Bartholomaus and 35mm photography by J. Adams.
Stream RITUAL MASS’ Cascading Misery in its consuming entirety early on YouTube RIGHT HERE.
The signing of RITUAL MASS to the 20 Buck Spin roster marks the first band from the label’s current base in Pittsburgh. For fans of Vastum, Krypts, Phrenelith, Master, Incantation, Abhorrence, Funebrarum, and Disembowelment, RITUAL MASS must be heard.
photos by J. Adams
Cascading Misery will be released on LP, CD, MC, and digitally this Friday, September 5th. Find preorder options at the 20 Buck Spin webshop HERE and Bandcamp HERE.
RITUAL MASS Live:
10/02/2025 Brillobox – Pittsburgh, PA *Cascading Misery record release show
RITUAL MASS is booking new dates in support of Cascading Misery, including a hometown release show for the album on October 2nd. Watch for further details and dates to be posted.
Time To Kill Records is proud to announce the signing of SEASON OF THE DEAD, the visceral, horror-obsessed death metal project featuring an all-star cast from across the underground.
The band promise a debut release that will feel like a lost VHS nightmare brought to life. More details on the upcoming record will be revealed soon.
SEASON OF THE DEAD is a visceral, cinematic extreme metal project born from the twisted minds of Titta Tani (former drummer of Necrophagia and Goblin), Giacomo Anselmi (former Goblin guitarist and current member of Goblin Legacy) and Enrico Giannone, founder and owner of Time To Kill Records, acting as producer and visionary behind the entire concept.
The idea is as brutal as it is clear: to resurrect the blood-soaked legacy of horror-infused death metal, channeling the rotten spirit of bands like Necrophagia, Mortician, and Fulci; while paying tribute to the grotesque imagery and raw energy of cult underground horror films. Influences range from Killjoy to City of the Living Dead, The Beyond, and Cannibal Holocaust, creating a soundscape that feels like a soundtrack to a lost VHS splatter nightmare.
The project boasts an all-star lineup from the international extreme music scene:
John McEntee (Incantation) – Vocals
Fiore Stravino (Fulci) – Vocals
Dave Neabore (Dog Eat Dog) – Bass
Chuck Sherwood (Incantation) – Bass
Giacomo Anselmi (Goblin Legacy) – Guitars
Titta Tani (ex Goblin, ex Necrophagia) – Drums
SEASON OF THE DEAD is more than just music – it’s a blood-drenched ritual, a sonic horror film where every track unfolds like a scene filled with gore, possession, necromancy, and decay. It’s a love letter to the most disturbing, iconic side of horror and death metal, one meant to be played loud… with the lights off.
Canadian death metal ensemble SCORCHING TOMB bring a crushing onslaught in the new album Ossuary. The brutal first single“Skullcrush” feat. Devin Swank (SANGUISUGABOGG), brings bloodthirsty, punishing riffs. Ossuary is set to land on October 24, via Time To Kill Records.
The band comments on “Skullcrush”:
“Slow, catchy and insanely effective, ‘Skullcrush’ is the perfect dummy-death anthem. Featuring Devin Swank of SANGUISUGABOGG, this song won’t make you bang your head, it will get you to punch your way through the fucking walls!”
Line Up: Vincent Patrick Lajeunesse: Vocals Philippe Leblanc: Guitars, Back vocals Miguel Lepage: Bass Émile Savard: Drums
Ossuary– Track Listing: 1. Stalagmite Impalement 2. Skullcrush (feat. Devin Swank of Sanguisugabogg) 3. Diminished to Ashes 4. Sanctum of Bones (Ossuary) 5. Sentenced to Rot 6. Feel the Blade feat. Primal Horde 7. Bloodlust Sacrifice 8. Expired Existence
About SCORCHING TOMB: Born in the sewers of Montreal, Canada, in 2018, SCORCHING TOMB began with the aim of blending old fashioned death metal and modern hardcore together in a city where technical death metal reigns supreme. It didn’t take long for the band to make a name in the underground. Fast old school riffs, pummeling mosh parts, and an energetic stage presence quickly saw SCORCHING TOMB gain attention, especially in the hardcore scene.
Initially formed by tattoo artist Vincent PL on vocals and axeman Philippe Leblanc, ST has now its hardest lineup to date by adding Miguel Lepage (ex- BLIND WITNESS, ex- OBEY THE BRAVE) on bass and Émile Savard (PROFANE ORDER, ex- MALEBRANCHE) on drums.
Striving to follow in the footsteps of CRYPTOPSY, QUO VADIS and DESPISED ICON, SCORCHING TOMB seek to show the world that Montreal is still to this day an unrelenting force of death metal.
CRYPTOPSY ALL SO VILE EUROPEAN TOUR 2026 Celebrating 30 years of None So Vile
With Special Guests: 200 STAB WOUNDS INFERI CORPSE PILE
15.01.26 Germany Hannover @ Béi Chéz Heinz 16.01.26 Germany Dortmund @ Junkyard 17.01.26 Belgium Antwerp @ Zappa 18.01.26 UK Southampton @ Engine Rooms 19.01.26 UK Bristol @ The Fleece 20.01.26 UK Glasgow @ Slay 21.01.26 UK Nottingham @ Rescue Rooms 22.01.26 UK Manchester @ Club Academy 23.01.26 UK Plymouth @ The Quad Theatre 24.01.26 UK London @ O2 Academy Islington 25.01.26 The Netherlands Nijmegen @ Doornroosje 26.01.26 Germany Hamburg @ Logo 28.01.26 Sweden Stockholm @ Kollektivet Livet 29.01.26 Norway Oslo @ Goldie 30.01.26 Denmark Copenhagen @ Pumpehuset 31.01.26 Germany Leipzig @ Hellraiser 01.02.26 Germany Berlin @ Hole44 02.02.26 Poland Warsaw @ Proxima 03.02.26 Czech Republic Prague @ Rock Cafe 04.02.26 Austria Vienna @ Szene 05.02.26 Hungary Budapest @ Barba Negra 06.02.26 Germany Munich @ Backstage 07.02.26 Italy Milan @ Legend Club 08.02.26 Switzerland Aarau @ KiFF 09.02.26 France Lyon @ Club Transbo 10.02.26 Spain Barcelona @ Wolf 11.02.26 Spain Madrid @ Revi Live 12.02.26 Spain Portugalete @ Groove 13.02.26 France Toulouse @ Metronum 14.02.26 France Nantes @ Le Ferrailleur 15.02.26 France Paris @ Petit Bain
Indianapolis death metal entity ATAVISTIC DECAY return with their new EP, ImmakulateInvokations, following the release of their 2024 demo. Spanning just over 14 minutes, the two-track work delves into multiple facets of the band’s sound – one half steeped in mephitic, suffocating death metal, the other immersed in murky, unsettling dark ambient.
Balancing oppressive weight with an almost cinematic sense of atmosphere, the release expands the band’s sonic identity and showcases their ability to evoke both physical and psychological unease. The result is a stark, immersive journey that confirms ATAVISTIC DECAY as one of the underground’s most promising new forces, with more range and depth than initially expected.
The band commented:
“Mother of abominations, dominator of beast, fermenter of filth! ‘Immakulate Invokations’ begins in the dionysion ecstasy of maniacal speed, engulfing you in bestial pleasure. A sonic invocation to the sacred whore, ecstasy devolves into slow, painful reflection. As your past ’self’ lies decimated, we invite the listener to transcend the flesh of what once was, and enter a profane and iconoclastic state of transformation, of self-creation and self-pleasure.”
Immakulate Invokations is now streaming exclusively via Mystification Zine, with the 7” vinyl edition set for release on October 3rd through Night Terrors Records.
01. Immaculate Invokations 02. Transcend the Flesh
ATAVISTIC DECAY is the deterioration of being into a state of atavistic nothingness, that which precedes the self. Birthed in 2023, the band serves as an organ of this process. Dense textures dirge into oscillating moments of mania, inducing fog-filled visions of autoerotic asphyxiation of being. ATAVISTIC DECAY seeks to drag you into these putrid depths, to experience a state of total self-suffocation.
Please welcome Texan hateful death metal outfit CALCRAFT to the Lifeforce Records roster!
Named after England’s infamous executioner William Calcraft, the band delivers gore-drenched riffs and horror-fueled lyrics inspired by Giallo, French, and American slasher films. Every song is a tale of madness, execution, and cinematic slaughter.
Debut single out Mid-September! Album to be released late November via Lifeforce Records!
Iron Fortress Records presents the inaugural IRON FORTRESS DEATH FEST 2025, a full day of death metal depravity featuring a sample of the Iron Fortress label roster that is taking place in October.
The IRON FORTRESS DEATH FEST is a label showcase that highlights the supreme debauchery of what Iron Fortress Records has to offer and includes sets by Decedent, Chorus Of Demons, Hamarr, Swampgrave, Dysmorphia, 1 Body 6 Graves, Scab Hag, Ripped Open, Pissrot, Cell Intruder, Ectospire, and Cryptual.
IRON FORTRESS DEATH FEST will take place Saturday, October 18th at The Black Circle in Indianapolis, Indiana, beginning at 2:00pm. Tickets will be $30 day-of the event, but can be acquired for $20 in advance.
Ben DePaoli, sole owner and operator of Iron Fortress Records and this event, states, “It’s time to gather into the inner sanctum of the Iron Fortress and explore its stench ridden corridors! IRON FORTRESS DEATH FEST was put together to showcase the Iron Fortress Records label roster, which is chock full of young and underground death metal bands eager for bloodshed. I can’t wait to gather all these incredible bands into one cavernous day of death metal. Come hang out, watch some brutality, mingle with the bands and I, throw back some demon juice, and headbang until you need a pain pill for your newly formed spinal injury!”
View the full IRON FORTRESS DEATH FEST lineup below. Tickets are available now at THIS LOCATION.
IRON FORTRESS DEATH FEST Lineup: October 18th, 2025: Decedent Chorus Of Demons Hamarr Swampgrave Dysmorphia 1 Body 6 Graves Scab Hag Ripped Open Pissrot Cell Intruder Ectospire Cryptual
Ireland’s MALTHUSIAN unearths their deathly opus, The Summoning Bell, today via Relapse Records!
On The Summoning Bell, MALTHUSIAN‘s fetid hallmarks are ever present: truly unforgiving, unrelenting death metal. Swirling chords and ominous cymbal swells give way to the band’s opener “Red, Waiting.” What follows is a flurry of murk and madness – blastbeats pummel against churns of distortion. The sonic atmosphere cultivated by MALTHUSIAN‘s palpable fury is suffocating; each riff carefully crafted to push and pull on the momentum behind their music. The Summoning Bell is undeniably a pitch-black take on the genre.
The Summoning Bell is a lighting of the pyre – each of the album’s tracks explore themes of true nothingness, condemnations of superstition, and a profound descent into darkness and time. The end result is a record that seemingly reconciles with a dimming internal and external, a true end of everything.
CEMETERY • 2025 Photo credit: Matthias Heilmeier [ All visual copyrights belong to the respective owners ] Logo credit: Cemetery
Great album by the 1990 founded band
Tragic abysmal, brute charismatic songs
A timeless old school gem of the genre
LINE-UP: Dani Zizek • Guitars, Vocals Markus Heilmeier • Guitars Stefan Hendel • Bass Tobias Kasper • Drums
“Thoughts On Life… And Death” by German OLD SCHOOL DEATH METAL grail keepers CEMETERY is a 50-minute concept album about the rise of a totalitarian regime and the downfall of the individual.
Front manDani Zizekreveals: “‘Grief, Anger And Despair‘ is probably the most aggressive track on the album. I wrote it during a time when I was reflecting on state power, injustice, and the loss of control. What happens when justice no longer serves the truth, but political interests? When people who resist simply disappear? I wanted to put that helplessness into sound. Musically, it’s four and a half minutes of pure rage – frantic drumming, razor-sharp riffs, no breathing space. The video, created by Matthias Heilmeier, captures that exact atmosphere. He managed to translate the bleak and oppressive mood of the song into raw and powerful images, intense, dark, and absolutely uncompromising.”
The band says: “We have put everything we have into it. Our whole heart, our experience, our knowledge and our skills. But it’s not just about us. From the stunning artwork by Silvio Fiorese (acrylic on canvas… no AI!) to the lush, heavy but transparent production created by Sergej Dukart at Walzwerk recording studio. This is our ‘opus magnum’! The biggest and best of CEMETERY you’ve ever heard!”
It begins with “Thoughts On Life”. A no-frills, short and fast opener in which Jim briefly shares his thoughts and fears with us.
“Among The Dead”, a classic old school Death Metal tune in which Jim perceives a creeping change in society.
“Grief, Anger and Despair”: The judicial system judges according to political guidelines. Despair spreads. Accompanied by crazy drumming and string work at the highest level. In the band’s opinion, the most aggressive song on the album.
“Physical Fear”. Do you know the feeling of feeling fear as “materialized”? Jim finds out when he is arrested with many others in a deadly street revolt. Musically packed in a sluggish stomper at the beginning, with a sprawling instrumental part in the middle.
“Nothingness” introduces the second part of the album as a short, classically tinged intermezzo. From here it becomes “different”. More willing to experiment.
“Lock The Doors To Your Mind”: Jim, now imprisoned, doubts his sanity and what has happened. This song contains all the styles that distinguish CEMETERY and is considered the band’s new calling card, so to speak.
It continues with “Believe”. Here, Jim is kindly but firmly told in an interrogation that it is time for him to give up his individualism and subordinate himself to the official “truth”. Musically ultra fast at the beginning, the piece transitions into a very quiet part to take a breath for what follows.
This is followed by “Truth A”. The official, only valid truth. Jim sits alone in a bare, cold interrogation room. A voice from a croaking loudspeaker mounted to the wall announces the verdict on him. The later court hearing is to take place only as a show trial. The number is mainly an instrumental which becomes more and more oppressive towards the end, leaving the paths of classic Death Metal far behind.
Now we reach the “grande finale” of the album. You have maybe 11 minutes to give yourself oppressive, psyche-gnawing Doom Death? The song never gets fast and explodes in desperate beauty in the second part. Jim has now undergone several brutal torture interrogations and is left to die in a dark, windowless dungeon. He escapes into his thoughts and longs for a little human warmth, but knows that he will die alone. What remains for him is his dignity, which he desperately clings to until his last breath. The song is called “Thoughts On Death”.
Artwork by Silvio Fiorese | CD + Digital Release: Aug. 08, 2025
TRACKS: 01. Thoughts On Life 02:54 02. Among The Dead 04:24 03. Grief, Anger And Despair 04:23 04. Physical Fear 06:01 05. Nothingness 02:16 06. Lock The Doors To Your Mind 06:00 07. Believe 05:56 08. Truth “A” 06:34 09. Thoughts On Death 11:13
total: 49:41 min.
DISCOGRAPHY: 1991 • Cemetery • Demo 1993 • Enter The Gate • Demo 2014 • Enter The Gate (Discography 1991-1993) • Compilation 2019 • The Last Day On Earth • Full-length 2019 • Enter The Gate (Re-release) • Full-length 🆕 2025 • Thoughts On Life… And Death • Full-length
Horror Pain Gore Death Productions are set to unleash the new release from Philadelphia’s disgusting Death Metal devastators Caesarean. Wretched Decrepitude is up now for pre-order and will be released September 12th on CD and Digital formats, along with merch.
Horror Pain Gore Death Productions proudly welcomes Caesarean to the roster with their debut EP Wretched Decrepitude! Formed in Philadelphia in 2024, Caesarean plays Death Metal with influences ranging from 80’s Teutonic Thrash to 90’s Deathgrind. Wretched Decrepitude projectile vomits 6 tracks of brutal riffs, technical drums, thunderous bass, and a disgusting tri-vocal attack. Mastering for Wretched Decrepitude handled by Impaled’s Leon Del Muerte.
Stream TITHE’s “The Fruits Of Spiritual Apartheid” HERE.
Portland, Oregon-based TITHE will deliver their demoralizing third LP, Communion In Anguish, this September through Profound Lore Records, today unveiling the album’s details including its lead single, “The Fruits Of Spiritual Apartheid.”
TITHE draws influence from many dimensions of ominous, extreme music and themes to manifest their distinctive, hypnotic, grinding, death metal. Comprised of vocalist/guitarist Matt Eiseman, vocalist/bassist Alex Huddleston, and drummer Kevin Swartz, the trio converges to create an arrangement even larger than the sum of its parts.
photo by Christy Cather
Expanding upon their acclaimed 2023 released Inverse Rapture LP, with Communion In Anguish, TITHE amps up the aggression and doubles down on the unrelenting atmosphere of its predecessor. The new addition of Alex Huddleston’s lower register growls combines with Eiseman’s distressed wails and Swartz’ driving rhythms to push the band into new sonic territory. Featuring artwork by Mitchell Nolte and produced/engineered by Keith Merrow at Merrowsound Studios, Communion In Anguish is the culmination of TITHE’s previous work, and it delivers with a honed and lethal sound.
With the harrowing first preview of Communion In Anguish, “The Fruits Of Spiritual Apartheid,” the band states, “‘The Fruits Of Spiritual Apartheid’ tells the timeless story of mankind embracing idealistic beliefs to justify genocide and endless wars. Religious dogma and blatant racism conveniently dehumanize perceived enemies and diminish their suffering. Murder them all and steal their land. Build your temples and homes on the blood-soaked shallow graves of the innocent.”
TITHE’s harrowing “The Fruits Of Spiritual Apartheid” can now be streamed on all platforms found HERE.
Communion In Anguish will be released on LP, CD, MC, and digitally on September 19th. Find links to all preorders and presaves via Profound Lore Records HERE.
Additional previews of the album are to be expected shortly.
Communion In Anguish – Track Listing:
Nostrum
At The Altar Of Starving Children
Ostiary
The Fruits Of Spiritual Apartheid
Infected Blood
Shallow Grave Of Karmic Retribution
Burn The Throne Of God
TITHE is busy booking West Coast tour dates in support of the album, including a hometown show on September 18th with Conan and Mares Of Thrace, with much more to be announced shortly.
With the release of their new album on the horizon, CASTRATOR has launched a stream of “Fragments of Defiance,” the second single off of Coronation of the Grotesque.
Three years after their crushing debut Defiled in Oblivion, CASTRATOR returns with Coronation of the Grotesque, an album that not only exceeds all expectations but leaves them shattered in its wake, firmly cementing the band among the North American death metal elite.
Lyrically, Coronation of the Grotesque explores a range of historical and societal themes that reflect on injustice, victimization, and human suffering. Among the topics confronted are the tragic killing of Mahsa Amini, the ancient Sumerian practice of eunuchization, and seething condemnation of predator Naasón Joaquín García. Clarissa Badini’s exceptional vocals elevate the lyrics, delivering a powerful and precise expression of the album’s themes.
Dark Descent Records will release Coronation of the Grotesque August 15 on CD, vinyl, cassette, and digital formats. Pre-orders are now live at:
Watch the official music video for the album’s first single, “Covenant of Deciept,” (filmed by Immolation’s Bob Vigna) at youtu.be/dfih-aAsgVs?si=qoDDubtMnIaBE3Po
Photos credit: Ashley Taylor
CASTRATOR: Robin Mazen – Bass Carolina Perez – Drums Clarissa Badini – Vocals Sara Loerlein – Guitars
In December, the band will join the likes of Acid Bath, Blood Incantation, and more at the Decibel Magazine Metaland Beer Fest. The fest runs December 5 – 6 at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, CO, with the pre-fest set for December 4 at Ratio Beerworks. CASTRATOR will perform on December 5. Get the full lineup and tickets at this location.
Coronation of the Grotesque was recorded across multiple studios with key figures in the US death metal scene. Bass recording was engineered by John Tardy (Obituary) at Redneck Studios, guitars and vocals by Jordan Milner at Obsidian Audio, additional guitars by Taylor Nordberg (Deicide) at Smoke and Mirrors Productions, and drums by Noah Buchanan (Nunslaughter) at Mercinary Studios, where Buchanan also handled mixing and mastering. Cover art by John Zig.
Touring with the likes of Immolation, Exhumed, and Cattle Decapitation has cemented CASTRATOR’s reputation as a commanding live force, and concert announcements in support of Coronation of the Grotesque are imminent.
Death metal juggernauts CASKET ROBBERY and GORGATRON have officially kicked off their co-headlining Northern Destruction tour. To mark the occasion, they’ve teamed up with metal-friendly eateries in select cities to unleash exclusive culinary creations that match the intensity of their live shows.
Toronto, ON – “The Northern Destruction Sandwich” at Slayer Burger
A beast of a bite: BBQ brisket, black and white sesame bun, pickled hot peppers, beet chutney, crispy shallots, and a fierce house-made destruction sauce. Available at Slayer Burger.
Denver, CO – “Casket Ro-Birria” at Brutal Poodle
This birria grilled cheese is a molten tribute to the pit: rich, spicy, and unapologetically heavy. Grab it while it lasts before CASKET ROBBERY and GORGATRON annihilate the stage at HQ.
These exclusive eats are part of the Northern Destruction experience, bringing brutal flavor to an already crushing lineup featuring special guests FRONTAL ASSAULT.
The full list of tour dates is as follows:
7/24 Minneapolis, MN @ Zhora Darling
7/25 Milwaukee, WI @ X Ray Arcade
7/26 Menomonie, WI @ Zymurgy Brewing
7/27 West Chicago, IL @ WC Social Club
7/28 Toronto, ON @ The Cave
7/30 Thunder Bay, ON @ Black Pirates Pub
7/31 Winnipeg, MB @ Sidestage
8/1 Saskatoon, SK @ Black Cat Tavern
8/2 Drumheller, AB @ Loud As Hell Fest
8/4 Missoula, MT @ The Show Room at the ZACC
8/5 Salt Lake City, UT @ Aces High Saloon
8/6 Denver, CO @ HQ
8/7 Rapid City, SD @ Abys
8/8 Sioux Falls, SD @ Downtown Sioux Falls @ Four Winds Music and Art Fest
8/9 Cedar Rapids, IA @ Iowa Metal Underground Fest
Obey the sickness within the flesh and witness the carnage yourself…
Finnish death metal force MALFORMED have unleashed debut full-length album, Confinement of Flesh, on U.S. label Dark Descent Records and European label Extremely Rotten Productions. The album is available on LP, CD, cassette, and digital formats.
Confinement of Flesh is a violent blend of classic American death metal, characterized by the brutality and musicianship of the genre’s originators; mixed with the gloominess of their Finnish contemporaries. MALFORMED draws influence from the eerie atmosphere that early Finnish death metal bands established and made a hallmark of the national scene.
From heavy grooves to frenzied blast beats, Confinement of Flesh pushes their sound even further. It’s a more refined and mature continuation of their earlier work, sure to satisfy existing fans and attract new ones. The album was recorded by MALFORMED, produced and engineered by Felix Pennanen (Disguised Malignance), and mastered to perfection by Lasse at Ballade Studios.
MALFORMED: Eetu Hyvönen – Lead Vocals & Guitars Akseli Lindroos – Guitar Pauli Niemi – Bass & Vocals Jani Seppi – Drums
Confinement of Flesh features an ominous cover painting by Icelandic artist Skadvaldur, offering a perfect visual representation of the darkness found within the album’s sound. This highly anticipated debut cements MALFORMED as one of the most promising bands in today’s death metal scene.
Formed in 2022 in the Finnish capital of Helsinki, MALFORMED released their debut demo Uncontrollable Malformity, digitally that same year. It was later picked up for physical release by U.S. record label Rotted Life and distributed worldwide.
The demo also led to a record deal and a follow-up EP with Danish underground death metal label Extremely Rotten Productions. The Gathering of Souls, released in 2023, further expanded the band’s international reach and led to several shows outside of Finland.
Canadian death metal stalwarts LAST RETCH return with their most explosive material yet: the second full-length album Abject Cruelty, set to be released on September 26th 2025 via Time To Kill Records.
Hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, LAST RETCH have been hard at work crafting a new chapter that promises to command the attention of underground death metal fans worldwide. Blending the bulldozer-like march of war masters Bolt Thrower with the bone-crushing stomp of Cannibal Corpse at their most muscular, the band has forged a sound that’s primed for the chaos of the pit and the raw aggression of the genre’s most punishing traditions.
Abject Cruelty stands as a testament to LAST RETCH’s dedication to relentless riffing and unflinching heaviness.
The first single “In the Polder They Reek” is available now:
Finlay Blakelock – Vocals Matt Fyke – Bass Spencer Robson – Drums Derek Brzozowski – Guitar John Russell – Guitar
The band commented:
“The track is about a swamp-dwelling murderer who constructs a polder in his bog to conceal the bodies of his victims. Over time, the corpses rot and break down, emitting a disgustingly potent gas that envelopes his abode. As the years pass, he begins to feel remorse for his many atrocities. Over time, guilt for his crimes begins to consume him and he turns to inhaling the putrid fumes as a means of escape. In his intoxicated state, the urge to kill resurfaces, trapping him in an endless cycle murdering for the high, again and again”.
Album Artwork: Fernando Rojas B. (Abismo Black Arts).
German/Swedish Blackened Death Metal band, Shadows, present the official video for “Delivered From Sin,” the third single from forthcoming debut album, Miseria. Get your fix at: youtu.be/Y0pmCPSXAxQ
Shadows will unleash Hell with Miseria on August 29! Featuring former members of such notable acts as Visceral Bleeding, The Berzerker, Enshrined, and Ominous, the quartet now proudly presents nine songs of unrelenting misanthropy.
“Miseria aims to explore the vast uncaring nothingness and explore the dread of our futile existence. If you are looking for release or redemption you won’t find them here.The album is unmistakably rooted in the Scandinavian black and death metal but delivers it with its own signature. It is crushing and suffocating but also melodic and solemn.”
Dejan Milenkovits – Vocals & Guitars Martin Bermheden – Guitars Andreas Holm – Bass Joél Cirera – Drums
Album Credits:
Recorded by Dejan Milenkovits & Filip Gäddnäs. Mixed and produced by Dejan Milenkovits & Mathias Lodmalm. Mastered by Dejan Milenkovits & Mathias Lodmalm. Session drums by Filip Gäddnäs. Additional vocals by Mathias Lodmalm. Guest solo on “Lamia” by Robert Ahrling. Guest solo on “Delivered From Sin” by Andreas Hedberg.
Dublin-based death metallers MALTHUSIAN are pleased to share their “Eroded Into Superstition” single. The track is taken from their impending deathly opus, The Summoning Bell, set for release August 8th via Relapse Records.
On their highly anticipated new album, MALTHUSIAN‘s fetid hallmarks are ever present: truly unforgiving, unrelenting death metal. Swirling chords and ominous cymbal swells give way to the band’s opener “Red, Waiting.” What follows is a flurry of murk and madness – blastbeats pummel against churns of distortion.
The sonic atmosphere cultivated by MALTHUSIAN‘s palpable fury is suffocating; each riff carefully crafted to push and pull on the momentum behind their music. The Summoning Bell is undeniably a pitch-black take on the genre.
The Summoning Bell is a lighting of the pyre – each of the album’s tracks explore themes of true nothingness, condemnations of superstition, and a profound descent into darkness and time. The end result is a record that seemingly reconciles with a dimming – internal and external, a true end of everything.
Listen to “Eroded Into Superstition” on YouTube HERE or all streaming services HERE.
Watch MALTHUSIAN’s previously released video for “The Summoning Bell,” directed by Ray K Media, HERE.
The Summoning Bell will be released on 2xLP, CD, and digital formats. Find preorders at Relapse.com HERE.
Frances’ uncompromising Death Metal vets are releasing a brand new single ‘Born of the Storm’ on all platforms on July 10th, it is also available as a limited edition 7 inch ep of 500 copies worldwide in transparent red vinyl with a scorching rendition of Slayer’s ‘Evil has no boundaries’ on side B.
By all accounts, a 40 year career for a music artist is quite of an achievement, notably for an extreme metal band travelling through all the evolutions as regards to music consumption and business in general, and who still sound undeniably as fierce, powerful and more ferocious than ever!
LOUDBLAST recently celebrated such 40th anniversary by playing 4 legendary sold out shows in their native town Lille, in the north of France.
How many bands out there had been playing death metal for that long? How many have helped kick-start a whole movement and are still around to tell the tale? How many have put out such universally-praised albums in the 90s like Disincarnate or Sublime Dementia and are still active these days? You do the math. But while you’re at it, LOUDBLAST and their undisputable leader Stéphane Buriez are keeping themselves busy moving forward, as ever. And their ninth full-length Altering Fates And Destinies issued in November 2024 saw them reaching another level of sophistication, while at the same time, returning more than ever at the very roots of their craft.
The limited edition ‘Born of the Storm’ 7inch in transparent red vinyl is available HERE (comes with a free patch)
Discography: 2024 – Altered Fates and Destinies* 2020 – Manifesto. * 2017 – III Decade Live Ceremony (CD/DVD) * 2014 – Burial Ground * 2011 – Frozen Moments between life and Death * 2009 – Loud, Live & Heavy (DVD) 2009 – Original Album Classics 2004 – Planet Pandemonium 2000 – Legacy Video Live 2000 – A Taste Of Death 1999 – Live Submission Tour 1997 – Fragments 1995 – The Time Keeper 1993 – Sublime Dementia * 1993 – Cross The Threshold * 1991 – Disincarnate * 1989 – Sensorial Treatment * 1987 – Licensed To Thrash *
If you’re a band or musician and would like your music reviewed or be interviewed by Stone, please click the link under the “ALBUM REVIEWS ARCHIVES” section below!
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