I'm not sure the generosity of your supporters is an excuse for price gouging. [Nor does it take into account that $6.66 is both a reasonable price for a digital download and totally kvlt.] But until artist-owned alternatives like Ampwall gain more traction, Bandcamp is still the best option for supporting independant musicians and labels directly.
Anyways, it's Bandcamp Friday, which means you can buy music without the platform's new profit-driven overlords getting your money. Here are some recent and upcoming releases that I enjoyed.
For the better part of two decades, Imperial Triumphant have been one of the most ambitious and forward-thinking bands in metal's underground. Though not as bold as the full-on jazz excursions on the band's previous two albums, the genre-agnostic Goldstar still deconstructs death metal and reconstitutes it in ways that few of its originators (except maybe Luc Lemay) thought possible. With Dave Lombardo and Tomas Haake contributing to the album, expect some rhythmic confustigation alongside all out brutality. An early contender for Album of the Year.
Now part of the impressive Everlasting Spew Records roster, DoC faves Escarnium are back with their fourth album. Inexorable Entropy shows why the Brazilian band (with German members) is so highly regarded, tweaking the blast-centric style characteristic of Brazilian death metal with dissonant Immolation-ism and atmospheric sections.
Their 2023 debut EP marked the California trio Wrath of Logarius as formidable talents in the blackened death metal space. Their first full-length Crown of Mortis continues along the same path, mixing the bleakness and raw aggression of second wave black metal with the razor sharp technique of modern death metal.
In Ancient Death, members of Cruciamentum and Atheist offer a more rough-hewn take on progressive death metal. Their debut full-length Ego Dissolution pulls of the unlikely combination of capturing the rawness of early death/thrash recordings, while being more musically adventurous than the usual old school revival band.
Danish band Foetorem only have a single demo to their name, but the potential for greater things is evident. The three songs on this release are solidly in the "Incantationcore" vein, with black tinged riffs flowing over restrained tempos and regular atmospheric breaks.
Reykjavík's Devine Defilement have been incredibly prolific since forming in 2016. Their fourth album Ruthless is an unabashedly modern take on death metal, with a crystal clear production adding a sparkling sheer to the band's technical slam.
Blood Monolith are a new DC-based supergroup featuring members of Ulthar, Undeath, and Genocide Pact. Their debut album The Calling Of Fire sticks to no-frills deathgrind as it was pioneered in the late Eighties/early Nineties style.
As per their name, Golem Of Gore play the kind of goregrind that was pioneered by Carcass and Impetigo, before the combined arena rock sensibilities of Michael Amott and Colin Richardson twisted the genre into something more accessible. Ultimo Mondo Cane drags the style back to its rough-hewn origins, with little deviation from ultra guttural vocals and blastbeats.
Philly trio Family Garden play my favourite style of hardcore - the kind that's basically metal. Their first full-length Dreams Beyond Control isn't afraid to mash up its dark crust sound with double bass drumming, doomy riffs, and the occasional blast section. As with other releases from Strange Mono Records, proceeds from the label's sales will be donated to charity - in this case, the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).
As with their peers in the Greek black metal scene, Nightfall were never as interested in pure speed as they were with with melancholy and theatrics. But Children of Eve, their eleventh album in a career that's spanned thirty years, may be their heaviest yet, occasionally flexing with some unfettered old school death metal along with the band's signature gothic style.
Changeling is the brainchild of Obscura guitarist Tom Geldschläger (operating here under the Randian pseudonym of "Fountainhead"). The project's eponymous debut throws down the gauntlet for technical and progressive death, packing its meandering songs with convoluted riffs, popping bass lines, and ethereal vocals.
Italian quartet Tetramorphe Impure combine the classic Scandinavian death metal sound with the gothic doom of the Peaceville Three. The deathly doom on their first album The Sunset Of Being is swathed in atmosphere, courtesy of some icy keys and reverberated guitar lines.
ALN of Mizmor and MSW of Hell, two artists known by their initials and for their solo endeavors, have come together for a shared vision of misery. On Alluvion, their bleak sensibilities comingle for an austere sludge album that's heavy on atmosphere and uninterested in the good-time grooves of stoner metal.
Toronto's Witchrot experienced some brief infamy a number of years ago, due to a viral post that falsely reported their drummer's death (and accurately reported some inter-band girlfriend drama). Since then, the band has been active with a reconfigured line-up and a number of well-received releases under their belt; their second album Soul Cellar exemplifies the band's shoegazing approach to doom, which layers Lea Reto's vocals over their solemn riffs.
In addition to the new Conan album, Conan guitarist/vocalist Jon Davis and former bassist David Perry released a new album from their cosmic drone project UNGRAVEN. With two songs and running over 40 minutes, Hollows Made Homes In Their Sunken Cheeks stretches out riffs so long you'll think time has stopped. Dr. Manhattan would be proud.
