Even without knowing that Todd Burdette (of Tragedy and His Hero Is Gone fame) was half of Portland duo Nightfell, there would be no ignoring the similarities to his past bands. The mid-paced doom/death of A Sanity Deranged revolves around his solemn, post-punk influenced guitar lines - the kind that reshaped hardcore and created the "dark crust" movement. That said, Burdette's vocals (which were always remarkably guttural, even during his time with HHIG) are at their most inhuman here, and show that he should have started a project like this decades ago. Crossover of the best kind. [$7.77]
After their making waves with their 2017 demo, Olympia's Mortiferum are ready to take their doomy death metal to a wider audience. Their first full-length Disgorged From Psychotic Depths keeps it old school and filthy, but wisely employs regular tempo shifts and acoustic interludes to avoid the monotony that most bands of this ilk get mired in. I'm generally not a fan of this style, but this is a surprisingly well-crafted album. [$8 CAD]
There's no confusing Barcelona's Graveyard with the Gothenberg band using the same name - though the Spaniards arguably sound more Swedish. Hold Back The Dawn (their 4th album) is classic death metal through and through, with plenty of salutes to the frantic thrashings of early Entombed, Hypocrisy, and Merciless. As former flagbearers abandon the old school revival in droves, the Spanish Graveyard's commitment is as admirable as their music is enjoyable. [€7 EUR]
