Cannibal Corpse may be over 30 years into their career, yet they continue to create classic heavy metal music with each new album released and their rigorous touring schedule that keeps them relevant.
A recent study examined how death metal fans respond to explicitly violent music. The results were striking.
Gatecreeper
Arizona death metal band Gatecreeper have spent the past decade rising through their ranks, exchanging technical wizardry for leaner and more punishing old-school style. After debuting with their self-titled 2014 EP and signing to Relapse for 2016’s Sonoran Depravation which showcased both desert roots while simultaneously cementing them as exponents of HM-2 sound, Gatecreeper continued this pattern on 2016 sophomore effort Deserted as well as 2021 surprise pandemic release An Unexpected Reality.
Dark Superstition marks another shift for this four-piece. It is their most thoughtful and melodic record to date – a natural progression given their steady rise as an act. Furthermore, there’s more of a doom influence evident here, similar to bands such as Entombed or Bolt Thrower.
Gatecreeper provides a welcome change from the usual chugging riffage that fans of Gatecreeper are used to hearing, helping them stand out among countless Cannibal Corpse clones and modernized Morbid Angels found across genre wasteland. From “Dead Star”‘s opening notes all the way through “From the Ashes”, this album delivers powerful death metal that will enthrall both fans of death metal as well as non-fans alike.
Immolation
Immolation have long been one of the mainstays in New York death metal scene and have consistently released some of the genre’s most devastating music for over three decades. While other bands were fighting it out underground and losing members, Immolation co-founders Ross Dolan (vocals/bass) and Robert Vigna remained focused on producing some of death metal movement’s most horrific releases – they managed this with remarkable precision thanks to Ross Dolan (vocals/bass).
Vigna is one of the finest death metal guitarists around, but Dolan truly sets them apart as an artistic entity. With a voice as powerful as Vigna’s and lyrics as provocative as Dolan’s – which include harsh and provocative lyrics against religion with clarity enunciation and vocal abilities second to none – they use religion like no other band in death metal’s scene and attack all forms of faith with its hypocrisy, hypocritical behavior and ridiculous belief systems as their target.
Failures for Gods stands out with its sound that’s full and mature while still possessing all of the aggression of its signature sound, like its title track of Failures for Gods. No wonder they’ve become such an influential group on acts like Omninoid and Whitechapel; its claustrophobic churn exudes menace, conviction, invention and simmering anger – providing an audible journey through every plane of Hell from agonizing pain to soul-crushing despair.
Venom Prison
Wales-based Venom Prison remains one of the premier contemporary death metal acts today, and they continue to surprise listeners with their hard, socially-conscious approach to death metal – leading them to create albums like Defy The Tyrant with themes of rebellion against social injustice.
Venom Prison are known for their amazing musicianship. From Ash Gray’s breathtaking guitar work and Joe Bills’ deft drumming, Venom Prison have the skills needed to make any song feel like it was written specifically for them.
Erebos’ groundbreaking new record, Erebos, showcases another stunning track in “Judges Of The Underworld”. This song delves deep into the impact of imprisonment and its after-effects while also showing off their wide array of influences, such as thrash and melodic tension delivered by Larissa Stupar vocally.
Venom Prison have become one of the scene’s brightest young talents since demoing songs in their living room years ago, yet still feel like one of its brightest prospects. That’s because Venom Prison aren’t content with just releasing albums and touring internationally – they want to redefine the landscape while leading by example.
Blindfolded
Blindfolded is an exciting blindfolded game in which players are given blindfolds and allowed to explore a room or building with the assistance of friends in search of hidden items that have been placed there. This activity is great fun and helps students realize how dependent they are on their sense of sight; also giving them insight into what life would be like without it! One of our most popular games here, this activity automatically selects examples from various online sources to reflect current usage of ‘blindfolded.’ Any opinions expressed do not reflect views expressed by Merriam-Webster editors nor their editors’ editors’ views or editorial advice.
Scab Hag
With death metal being known for its extremes – from blast beats and throat-shredding snarls, to headbanging riffing – it would be easy to think it has become obsolete, yet 2018 has witnessed plenty of bands pushing the genre further forward. Here are 10 exciting acts you should keep your eye out for.
Scab Hag is an energetic Cincinnati death metal act known for their mid-tempo chugs and haunted vocals, drawing influence from bands such as Dissection and Immolation. Their 2023 full-length Untopia was both brutal and intelligent; paying homage both to tech-death technicality as well as prog’s songwriting potential.
Scarab unleashed two mind-boggling EPs last year that featured rapid tempos, serrated death metal guitar tones, and Tyler Mullen of ex-Year Of The Knife fronting vocals to deliver emotionally charged tunes with an impressive ability to balance drama with catharsis seamlessly. Scarab truly impress, being capable of keeping their listeners spellbound through each track’s pulsing pace while still managing an effective cathartic release in every single song they write.
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Hooded Menace
Hooded Menace can easily be described as modern day death/doom machines, and their sixth album “The Tritonus Bell” further proves this point. While less heavy than their mid albums, ‘The Tritonus Bell’ still delivers traditional doom basslines at the core of their sound – as always Finns excel in crafting intricate melodies complemented by growling growls and pulsing grooves to produce this stellar offering.
Hooded Menace was formed in Joensuu, Finland in 2007 by guitarist/vocalist Lasse Pyykko (known for his involvement with Phleghemthon and Asphyx) with immediate success as masters of dark funeral doom metal. Drawing influence from early Candelimass/Cathedral releases as well as PARADISE LOST/WINTER or AUTOPSY albums as well as creating their own style of doom-laced death metal music.
Desecresy
Desecresy brings together elements from Bolt Thrower’s mid-paced death metal with Abhorrence’s doom/black metal atmospheric pieces to evoke a feeling of impending evil from below.
Desecresy quickly made their mark upon emerging from Finland with their debut release Xtreem Music’s Arches of Entropy and was expected to continue developing their sound with each subsequent album release; however, their latest offering “Deserted Realms” proves this is more than incremental – it represents a drastic transformation.
The mid-paced rhythms remain key elements, yet have now been supplemented by more powerful guitar riffs that allow them to explore wider landscapes of old school death metal without losing their core sound. Drums experiment with syncopated fills while bass provides another dynamic aspect to their sound.
More importantly, Deserted Realms features Tommi Gronqvist’s trademark guttural vocals which exude renewed confidence, cementing his position as one of the leading voices of modern death metal with this effort. Dark and hypnotic in nature, Deserted Realms will surely find an eager audience.