DEAD METAL

Blasphemy are originators of war metal, a sub-genre of blackened death metal. This Canadian band started out in the mid-80s, but despite still being active today they have never released much material. All of their three main offerings (a demo from 1989 and two albums from the early '90s) would fit comfortably on a blank CD. On which note, digital (and indeed physical) copies of those releases (which you can listen to below) are available from Nuclear War Now . An extremely influential band, in spite of its limited output. Not for untrained ears, or the faint of heart, but otherwise highly recommended.

Mercyless  ( France ) –  Abject Offerings  ( World In Flames/Smash It Up/Restless, 1991 ): Accidental Suicide  ( US ) –  Deceased  ( Deaf, 1992 ): Eternal Solstice  ( Holland ) - At The Dawn Of... ( Midian, 1992 ): Cianide  ( US ) -  A Descent Into Hell  ( Red Light/Bullet Proof, 1994) :

None 's eagerly-anticipated fourth album drops 31st June. Hypnotic Dirge are doing the honours again, and have described Inevitable as the band's "longest and darkest work... the culmination of their musical legacy, evoking the signature depressive atmosphere that has struck listeners across the globe." The closing track can be previewed below, and pre-orders are  now on sale . Hopes are (somewhat ironically) very high indeed going into this one.

People are too quick to judge Metallica. No Metallica, no thrash; and no thrash, no death.  No, they have never quite returned to the glory of their early efforts; but nor could they hope to, and (aside from the abomination that is St Anger) every album has had its merits.  …and the singles from 72 Seasons (out 14th April) bode very well. There is a real immediacy to this material, and the extra layer of production sheen is working for it. A couple of the aforementioned singles can be streamed below.

Beherit is a Finnish band that formed in 1989. ...but their first full-length, Drawing Down The Moon, didn't land until 1993. It boasts death, doom and ambient elements aplenty, but is fundamentally a black metal release. A unique offering - messy and thoroughly lo-fi, and all the more charming for it. Special mention has to go to the vocals, which really are quite bizarre! The album can be heard below, and you can pick up a copy here .

Previous Quest Master material can be found here . The latest release from this Australian dungeon synth-adjacent/ 'fantasy synthesizer' artist is out on 17th March. Judging by the lead single (Cloudy Gateways, which you can listen to at the bottom of this post), it could well be the best yet. Urge Records is producing the vinyl release this time around, with Out Of Season handling other formats as usual. You can pre-order a copy of Sword & Circuitry  here .

Sodom - In The Sign Of Evil ( Devil's Game, 1984 ) Anthrax - Spreading The Disease ( Megaforce, 1985 ) Sodom - Obsessed By Cruelty ( Steamhammer, 1986 ) Megadeth  -  Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?   ( Capitol, 1986 ) Megadeth  -  So Far, So Good... So What!  ( Capitol, 1988 ) Forbidden - Twisted Into Form ( Combat/Under One Flag, 1990)