5 sonic travels into the darkest and avant metal realms

Morgengrau- Blood Oracle- CD/ Digital ( Unspeakable Axe )

What we have here is the 2nd album from this Texas Old School Death metal force. I you like your guitars thick and mid tempo, Your vocals female and guttural . The drums at a double beat blast and the bass rumbling  then you have found your need band. This so reminds me of those early Earache and Relapse Death metal days even bleeding into the Road racers Thrash meets early death metal releases. There are parts of   Obituary , Entombed and Bolt thrower going on mixing in with Early Sepultura, Celtic Frost and even Bathory Moments.  So There is a blackened taste but that is all I can hear some Dissection and Edge of Sanity here as well. This is the 1st for the sub-label of Dark Descent. I can not say more then amazing things about this album. The production is top notch you can hear everything amazingly well. The tracks are heavy and catchy and have that great old school Death metal groove. Then go into a blistering pace at time. To be honest I hear a bit of Mythic in them to nod to Dana vocals here for sure. What more can you want then a kick ass Death metal record and its right here.

http://www.unspeakableaxerecords.com/

Zarraza -Necroshiva-CD/ Digital ( Self Released) 

The band is band in Central Asia  and when I listen to this I hear mix of Extreme thrash, Industrial Metal and Black Death all rolled into a fast moving and catchy adventure. There are elements of  Fear Factory, Exodus, Machine head and Vektor going on here all at the time and its got a very proggy meets Sci fi side to esp when the solo and break downs come in the vocals sound like  Burton C Bell meets Rob Flynn cut and dry. This is an impressive  Death/ Thrash recorded will some very memorable riffs as well as some circle pit moments.  The do get rather technical as well in the way that more modern  Testament does . Zarraza is a band to give the time to listen too as you will be impressed.

https://zarraza.bandcamp.com/releases

Paths - In Lands Thought Lost - CD/ Digital / Vinyl ( Bindrune Recordings )

From the land of the frozen North comes Paths which is one of the most beatifully frightening  Atmospheric Post Black metal meets Black gauze releases I have heard in a while. The vocals are violent and razor sharp the music is full of  rituals, pagan feels and hypnotic post black metal. You know all these band that are in Oregon, Seattle, Northern Europe and now France . I don't need to name them anymore come on. This is were Paths sound is forged from and they add a darker more sinister element on top of those sounds many of us have grown to adore.  Featuring Austin Lunn from Panopticon as a sessions drummer and there is a strong kinship to that band here as well. What more can be said. Bindrune as label finds some of the best Pagan Post Black metal in the world and this with Paths is no different.

http://bindrunerecordings.com/

Finnr's Cane- Elegy- CD/ Digital/ LP ( Prophecy Productions )

With another Canada band also on their 2nd album we have Finnr's Cane they are much more a Prog Folky Post metal force that is more harmonic and delicate in the way they are presenting the Black gauze and Blackened ethereal side of the music they manifest . The acoustic guitars and Anathema and Antimatter style is strong then they go from time to time into that ugly noisy Post Black metal side with vocals and dissident guitar tones. the vocals are normally more clean and choir like sung. You can feel the despair and sadness in what Finnr's Cane creates through out the album and it is done with laser like focus. If Devin Townsend made post black metal it would be like this I'm sure. There is a nod to Alcest as well but that is all they are not clones in any way.  Finnr's Cane will not be for everyone but if you like what I'm talking album you will be very impressed for sure.

http://www.prophecy.de/

P.H.O.B.O.S.-Phlogiston Catharsis- CD/ Digital ( Transcending Obscurity Records)

There are few bands that gives me chills listening to them or get me very excited when new albums come. P.H.O.B.O.S is one of them. This is Avant Futurist Industrial Doom let's be clear here. We have  elements of Godflesh,, Author and Punisher, Fear Factory, Early Swans, Voivod and Celtic Frost going on here and with each album they get better they were paired last to create a split album with Blut Aus Nord and these bands at time could be brother in the Doom darkness. I not going to make this a lengthy review but the world needs to know how amazing this unit is how power the band is on the kind of music they create. This is truly man vs machine for the very survival sakes. There is an aggression here that most bands just done have and never well. There is a talent and skill that most bands only hope for. At times they even remind me of bands like  DHG , Havoc Unit and Red harvest for the similar way that are creating ground breaking music . OK enough of this go out in late summer and buy two copies of this album and give one to a friend so they can see the brilliance and get others to see it as well.

https://tometal.com/