DEAD METAL

13th February - Fossilization  ( Brazil, death-doom ) - Advent Of Wounds   ( Everlasting Spew ) 14th May - Nedgravd  ( Norway, death metal ) - Ascension   ( Headsplit ) 28th August - Static Abyss  ( US, death-doom ) - The Dying Hunt   ( Peaceville ) 18th September - Anthrax  ( US, thrash metal ) - Cursum Perficio   ( Megaforce/Nuclear Blast )

Insane Sickness was the only offering from this American death metal band, other than a demo in 1993. Released in 1995, it is groovy and mid-paced, in the vein of  Baphomet , Lucifixion  and  Embalm . ...and it definitely holds its own in that company. An original copy will set you back a surreal amount, but a decent bootleg is available  here . Do yourself a favour and preview this album below.

23rd JANUARY Megadeth ( US, thrash metal ) - Megadeth ( BLKIIBLK ) 13th FEBRUARY Worm  ( US, black/doom metal ) -  Necropalace ( Century Media ) 13th MARCH Monstrosity ( US, death metal ) - Screams From Below The Surface ( Metal Blade ) 10th APRIL Immolation ( US, death metal ) - Descent ( Nuclear Blast )

19th January - Perishing ( Costa Rica, death-doom ) - Lutum ( Morbid Chapel/Caligari ) 30th May - Vader ( Poland, death metal ) - Humanihility   ( Nuclear Blast ) 22nd August - Innumerable Forms ( US, death-doom ) - Pain Effulgence ( Profound Lore ) 17th October - Evoken  ( US, funeral death-doom ) - Mendacium ( Profound Lore )

A previous post about this band can be found here . Eternal Darkness formed in 1990 and split up in 1995. This is not only their first release in 33 years, but also their first ever official full-length. The early material is death-doom at its finest, and this offering actually manages to stand to-to-toe with it. ...which isn't to say that it simply revisits the old hallowed ground, much as it does maintain all of the standards you would hope for in both songwriting and production terms - it is essentially how you might optimistically hope they would sound now. A crying shame that these guys have split up again since the recording, but incredible to have it nonetheless. This album will captivate you, and then crush you. Seriously powerful stuff. The self-titled 'debut' is out this Friday on Pulverised.

Previous posts about these thrash metal legends can be found here . Sodom's output in recent years has been outstanding - 2016's Decision Day was great, as were the EPs that followed and 2020's Genesis XIX. Will The Arsonist measure up? Only one track has been shared so far, so time will tell. But, the press release makes clear that the band went the extra mile on the production front, which (along with the cool cover) does bode well. You can listen to "Trigger Discipline" below, and pre-order the album  here .

For previous posts about Old Tower, see  here . Hailing from Holland, the dungeon synth/dark ambient artist is as prolific as he is talented. This latest five track/twenty-five minute offering comes with the following blurb: These songs were commissioned for Dark Ages Workshop/Grimdark Compendium for their series of miniature painting tutorial videos for the game Trench Crusade. The music was made to enrich the lore and atmosphere of the Trench Pilgrims, one of the game's factions. The Trench Pilgrims isn't the first OT release we would recommend to someone that is unfamiliar with the back catalogue, but if you're a fan it certainly won't disappoint. You can stream it below, and download it for free  here .