Review: Cleveland death metal legends in the making 200 STAB WOUNDS have a hardcore following of fans and are getting ever more critical acclaim. Their new album Manual Manic Procedures on Metal Blade Records is only heightening that reputation with another bold mix of high-quality death metal sounds that are seriously constructed but not too earnest in execution. This fine sophomore effort follows 2021's Slave to the Scalpel, a manic debut that is followed up by another hefty slab of old-school death metal but with a contemporary edge. If you like it hard and gore-themed with ferocious licks and unrelenting drums, get your ears around this one which deals with themes as diverse as chemical spills and mental health.
Review: Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Abberation are the latest in a new breed of abyssal depth dwellers plumbing the cavernous realms of extreme metal to provide the type of sonic horror more in line with Lovecraftian cosmic terror than, say, slasher movies. Following on from their punishing 2021 self-titled EP, the band's debut album Refracture weaves hyper-dense, virtuoso technicality with avant-garde compositional approaches, in order to audibly concoct the musical equivalent to falling endlessly through the void. Featuring members of Void Rot, Suffering Hour and Nothingness, their fluid cohesion marks a triumph for the modern scene of USDM, and implores listeners to surrender rather than mosh and allow the insidious sonic meanderings to enlighten and horrify in equally transcendent measure.
Review: Following on from 2021's excellent Too Mean To Die, German proto-speed/thrash metal pioneers Accept return with their highly anticipated 17th full-length Humanoid. Marking their sixth overall LP with former T.T. Quick frontman Mark Tornillo handling vocal duties (who has been with the group since their third reunion in 2009), the material here espouses genuine concerns over the increase of AI in modern technology and its careless displacement of artists from varying fields. Emboldened by frenetic, anthemic riffage and soaring melodious hooks, Accept are back to remind all of their vital influence and put every band who've come since back in their quiet little place atop the band's giant shoulders.
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