Honorable Mentions from the Abyss #10: Bloodsoaked Necrovoid/Pestilent Death/Vistery/Thrombus

Hey brutalbangers,

in these last days I listened to a lot of death metal, so this new episode of "Honorable Mentions from the Abyss" is entirely dedicated to this genre. Sure, every band featured here plays death metal in an old-school approach (the better one, undoubtedly), as it's regular for this 'zine. And, in addition, this time I touched also exotic countries like...but no spoiler, so please read this article and enjoy it!

Honorable Mentions from the Abyss #4: Atrament/Ayyur/Vessel of Iniquity

Hey brutalbangers,
this new appointment with "Honorable Mentions from the Abyss" is completely dedicated to the releases of Sentient Ruin Laboratories, a small US label that's used to produce very extreme but also bizarre stuff. But don't waste time and let's start already to discover some of its (relatively) old and newer releases!

Desekryptor/Draghkar - "Desekryptor/Draghkar split" (Blood Harvest Records, 2018)

Bands: Desekryptor/Draghkar
Title: Desekryptor/Draghkar split
Genre: Death Metal
Time: 7:44 min
Year: 20th April 2018
Rating: 70/100













After the melodic HC punk madness by Satanic Surfers, today it's the turn of a devastating split between two of the most exciting new death metal bands that are infesting nowadays this genre: Desekryptor and Draghkar, both from USA.

Draghkar - "World Unraveled" (Self-released; Witchhammer Prod/Blood Harvest, 2017)

Band: Draghkar
Title: World Unraveled
Genre: Death Metal
Year: 3rd February 2017
Time: 9 min
Rating: 70/100













I have to say that, thanks to my article about "Primordial Malignity" of the Canadians Tomb Mold, I received many review submissions. In fact, bands like Gravewards (GRE), Acedia Mundi (FRA) or these Draghkar contacted me after that review. Today I'll talk you about these ones, that are a very enthusiast duo from California heavily influenced by the same Finnish death metal adored by Tomb Mold. Draghkar is a surprising band because their first demo "World Unraveled", initially self-released in digital way and recorded in January 2017 with the mixing and the mastering made by Derek Orthner of the Canadians Begrime Exemious, before was reprinted on demotape by the Thai label Witchhammer Productions and, then, has drawn attention to the fantastic Blood Harvest Records with the result that Draghkar are now into its roster just as Tomb Mold. In brief, BW and AK, helped during the recordings by the session bassplayer Todd Bilsborough of the one-man black metal band Idomeneo, looks to be very ambitious...and with a good reason because their "World Unraveled" is Amazing!

Tomb Mold - "Primordial Malignity" (Blood Harvest, 2017)

Band: Tomb Mold
Title: Primordial Malignity
Genre: Death Metal
Year: 3rd February 2017
Time: 32 min
Rating: 88/100













Tomb Mold is an incredible band! As said by them, the initial goal of Tomb Mold was only to release some demotapes and nothing more. But, after the success found by their two 2016 demos (especially "The Bottomless Perdition"), their label Blood Harvest asked to them if they were ready for a debut album. So, these two Canadians guys from Toronto realized some months ago that debut album naming it "Primordial Malignity". The result of all these efforts is a crushing album able to show again the excellent qualities shown in the recent past by Tomb Mold for a very promising future.

Totten Korps - "Supreme Commanders of Darkness" (Apocalyptic Productions, 2015; Blood Harvest, 2016)

Band: Totten Korps
Title: Supreme Commanders of Darkness
Genre: Death Metal
Year: 2015
Time: 43 min
Rating: 92/100

Totten Korps: the moniker is German but the band is Chilean. Ultimately Chile is spewing forth an incredible bunch of high-quality’s extreme metal bands, in particular about the purest death metal. To name a few, I must mention Pentagram Chile (obviously!), Demonic Rage, Unaussprechlichen Kulten, Diabolical Messiah, the veterans Atomic Aggressor, and so on and so on forth, in an endless death metal explosion. But, into this interminable list, there are the Totten Korps, another band of veterans founded even in 1989 that, guided by the guitarist Francisco Torres since the early days, split-up for a first time in 1994 after various demos to return to terrorize the nights of the mortal world in 1998 releasing their long-awaited debut album in 2001. But, from here, Totten Korps hadn’t released something new, just splits with old songs and compilation dedicated to them. Finally, this silence was broken during December 2015 through a new fresh album titled “Supreme Commanders of Darkness”  and edited by the compatriot label Apocalyptic Productions. Released originally on CD, it has been recently reissued on vinyl by the Swedish label Blood Harvest. So, this is the third consecutive review about a release of this fantastic label!

Sadokist - "Thy Saviour's Halo, Held by Horns" (Black Goat Terrorist 666, 2014; Blood Harvest, 2016)

Band: Sadokist
Title: Thy Saviour's Halo, Held by Horns
Genre: Black/Thrash metal
Year: 2016
Time: 33 min
Rating: 66.6












Snoods, bullet-belts, face-painting à la Beherit and studs as much as one can. THIS IS the look adored by me and it is just the look of Sadokist, a Finnish band founded in 2007 which, after the classic plethora of demos, compilations and splits in the classic underground-style, released on tape its debut album titled “Thy Saviour’s Halo, Held by Horns” only in 2014 by the small Ecuadorian label Black Goat Terrorist 666. But, after two years, “Thy Saviour’s Halo, Held by Horns” see a new light through the stronger Swedish label Blood Harvest, that just yesterday has reissued it in vinyl format so to give to the album the right recognition.

Master of Cruelty - "Archaic Visions of the Underworld" (Blood Harvest, 2016)

Band: Master of Cruelty
Title: Archaic Visions of the Underworld
Genre: Black/Death metal with Thrash metal elements
Time: 33 min
Year: 2016
Rating: 90/100











Believe it or not, “Archaic Visions of the Underworld” is the very first release from a Paraguayan metal band that I ever listened in my entire life. It looks that Paraguay has some great bands but we mustn’t forget that it is a South American country, and everyone of us knows that the South America offers systematically high quality bestial metal since the Brazilians Stress released their homonym proto-thrash metal debut album in 1982. Master of Cruelty, a quartet founded in 2009 in the Paraguayan capitol Asuncion, aren’t an exception considering that with “Archaic Visions of the Underworld”, released on 25^th November 2016 by the Swedish label Blood Harvest, have created a true masterpiece of pure South American fury!