Pennsylvania's Burial In The Sky join Cynic and Inanimate Existence in my "yoga metal" circle. Like kombucha brewed with psilocybin, Creato et Hominus infuses the band's cerebral and technical approach with psychedelia in the form of moog keyboards, saxophone, and mandolin parts. Not since Dan Swanö in his prime has death metal drawn so deeply or boldy from the well of Seventies' prog. [$7.99]
As the ranks of bands emulating Immolation and Deathspell Omega proliferated, Oklahoma's Dischordia spent almost a decade refining their own style of progressive death metal. Their two song Binge/Purge EP takes the listener on a 20 minute voyage through convoluted riffs and spastic mathcore, resulting in a car crash of technical mastery and punishing dissonance. Symphonies of motion sickness. [$5]
There's a bright light on the death metal horizon in the form of Hatred Reigns. Like fellow up-and-comers Abnormality and Hate Storm Annihilation, their three song Realm: I - AFFLICTION draws from the blast-centric work of Morbid Angel, Suffocation and Cryptopsy without being overly beholden to it. Give them the production their brutality deserves and they'll be unstoppable. [€7]
I doubt anyone loves Misery Index as much as Stuttgart's Pestilent Reign - not even this nerd. While Pyres never quite rises to furious speed of their heroes, it does add an agreeable blackened sheen to the band's fretburning deathgrind (as well as a less agreeable Alex Jones clip). Heirs to nose-bleedery. [€7]
