…FROM THE TOMB is a weekly feature in the form of a list grouping short reviews for albums selected from the current weeks new releases. These albums were overlooked for full review for any number of reasons with the most common reason being constraint of time. I try to cover as much of everything I receive in some form, be it mini-review or full-feature, so don’t hesitate to send anything and everything my way: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

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Here I present a grip of new releases from this week [July 24th through July 31st, 2020]. This ends up being the most effective way to cover as many releases from 2020 in a timely fashion so things don’t bottleneck at the end of the year. Most of these albums made it here to …FROM THE TOMB due to time constraints for processing long-form reviews or because a paragraph or three’s worth of insight was all that was necessary. If you’re not into the selection this week, relax! This’ll be back every 7 days with more new releases from different styles, genres, etc.

Hey! Don’t dive in thinking this will all be shit just because these records aren’t getting full reviews. Quality control is an important part of this process, lasting value is the major goal in approaching each piece. Thank you! I am eternally grateful for the support of readers and appreciate friendly and positive interactions. Think my opinions are trash and that I suck? Want to totally tell me off, bro? Click away and let’s all live more sensible lives full of meaningful interactions.

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ARTIST:	DKHARMAKHAOZ
TITLE:	Proclamation ov Black Suns
RELEASE DATE:	July 31st, 2020
LABEL(S):	Iron Bonehead Productions
BUY/LISTEN:	Bandcamp

Glossy, modern, chuggy, sludge-toned and slightly industrial black metal is absolutely never my thing. I’d go as far as saying I absolutely hate over-produced laptop nonsense in every case yet I don’t believe Belarusian duo Dkharmakhaoz intended for this debut full-length to sound a bit like Cradle of Filth gone djent. Of course I’m exaggerating by a mile for effect yet the programmed drums and overly polished guitars are much too ‘clean’ for my taste. Likewise the vocalist rasp is about as menacing as the fellow from Thou. Not a sleight by many standards but certainly under-served for a black metal performance. It didn’t do a thing for me personally but I did admire the effective and I’d say accomplished compositional skills where I’d emphasize the strong flow of each song and the interrelated movements that are engaging throughout. Pacing is slow-to-middling much of the release and this allows ‘Proclamation ov Black Suns’ a menacing, relentlessly angered state of mind which is effective despite sounding quite a bit like a blackened sludge metal band much of the time.

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ARTIST:	SHEZMU
TITLE:	À Travers Les Lambeaux
RELEASE DATE:	July 27th, 2020
LABEL(S):	Krucyator Productions
BUY/LISTEN:	Bandcamp

Montréal, Quebec-based blackened death metal band Shezmu offer a curative blast of blackened doom, raw war-like death metal, and ever frightening distorted atmospheric values on this debut full-lenght. ‘À Travers Les Lambeaux’ drags slow n’ low as its opener/title track rolls out, feeling a bit like Aeternus just past their earthen, folkish black metal phase when composition was at its most ambitious. This is a textural semblance, though, because Shezmu are much more of a rocky ride, a turbulent storm willing to blast off unto fiery explosions of doom or intense war metal riffing at any moment. Initial listens to this album were intensely fun to follow, much like a Demoncy record, where there the parameters between black metal, death metal, and doom metal are never set nor do they come in predictable amounts. As I became supremely comfortable with the album I’d felt conflicted by its choices at some point, where their strength is certainly faster black/death metal war blasts but the doomed sections of the record carry so much of the atmospheric weight that they’re not to be lived without. “Les Secrets des Ziggourats” is probably the most memorable set of riffs on the album, which ultimately feels a bit slapdash but still very entertaining; This is the same sentiment I’d carry over to most of Olivier Emond‘s projects (Complot!, Hexeth, Pénombre, Warslaves, etc.) enthusiastic and successfully atmospheric but perhaps not enough to stand out when considered on a global scale. As a microcosmic event, Shezmu‘s debut is stellarly, a dark and wrenching grinder of a record.

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ARTIST:	TEMPLE OF DREAD
TITLE:	World Sacrifice
RELEASE DATE:	July 24th, 2020
LABEL(S):	Testimony Records
BUY/LISTEN:	Bandcamp

Spiekeroog compatriots Temple of Dread are back for more blood just 11 months after their debut ‘Blood Craving Mantras’ (2019). Conceived as a pure old school death metal project via Slaughterday‘s live bassist Markus Bünnemeyer circa 2017 this project took off pretty quickly, hammering out this second album while sticking to the Morgoth, Death, Asphyx, Pestilence and their ilk styled pure death metal. Since I love this stuff and never tire of ’89 thrashing death metal, why not do a full review? Well there isn’t much to say here overall. The production is a bit tighter with the drums sounding quite a bit more natural but otherwise this is a polished iteration on the first album, expanding into some briefly doom influenced sections but never going as far as say, Decaying or nearby towards the realm of Bolt Thrower or mid-90’s Obituary. Their cover of Morgoth‘s “Sold Baptism” is quite good, though the vocals feel a bit weak on the cover compared to the seven prior songs; Not the performance but the level of the voice feels pushed back. A good album front to back though it is more of the exact same stuff, I like it but would only recommend ‘World Sacrifice’ to folks who don’t take issue with iteration

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ARTIST:	ANGEL BLADE / VENATOR
TITLE:	Split EP
RELEASE DATE:	July 31st, 2020
LABEL(S):	Dying Victims Productions
BUY/LISTEN:	Bandcamp

Two young traditional heavy metal bands contribute a 7″ worth of tunes (all previously released) to this solid split EP and they’re each so sweetly NWOBHM-esque and melodic it wasn’t easy picking sides. Austrian quintet Venator ultimately won me over most here as they’ve gone sorta High Spirits catchy with their circa ’84 ‘fits in a pub, meant for an arena’ hooks on the ‘Paradiser’ EP from earlier this year. It pairs well with the self-titled 2019 demo tape from Angel Blade, a German band who bring a bit more theater to thier work though the vocals don’t entirely land for my taste. I figure if they went somewhat ‘epic’ in scope their sound would wear a bit better but these three songs are inspired nonetheless. The song “Angel Blade” has this wild 70’s metal feeling, not quite Quartz but not quite Angel Witch, which I loved. So, I guess I’d suggest starting there and getting the rock out.

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ARTIST:	HERESIARCH / ANTEDILUVIAN
TITLE:	Defleshing the Serpent Infinity
RELEASE DATE:	July 31st, 2020
LABEL(S):	Iron Bonehead Productions
BUY/LISTEN:	Bandcamp

Another split and this time two well-established black/death metal bands who’re each due for some kind of major release. We haven’t heard much from Edmonton, Alberta’s metaphysic mind-fuck Antediluvian since their split with Witchrist back in 2015. Their ‘Through the Cervix of Hawaah’ and its follow-up remain and unforgettable blur across the black/death landscape in the first half of the last decade. Their material on this split is subversive in its entirety, menacing and otherworldly as they break into “Slipstream of Levi” and its unexpected avant-garde horror atmosphere, drenched in grinding, oily distorted bass and wailing guitar feedback. Oddball yet intuitive in its freakish, noisome presence this may not be the most pleasant song they’ve released but it does feel entirely new, dangerous in tone and recklessly performed. “Prelude” on the other hand is a six minute dark ambient piece that does nothing for me.

Heresiarch‘s side is much easier to read and absorb at face value, a brutal as fuck blasting blackened death metal tank out of Wellington, New Zealand. I like everything this band has ever put out, and this had been reinvigorated by the 2019 compilation ‘Incursions’ more recently. The material here shows off the skills of new drummer H.G. (I only assume it is him) who is slightly more technical than the prior drummer. If you like that fine line between war metal and most pure forms of blackened death metal these guys are one of the better choices made int hat regard and primarily because they’ve got riffs and not just strangled punk-chunking kid guitars. Heresiarch‘s side also features a ~5.5 minute dark ambient piece which again doesn’t tie in close enough to the song that preceded it to bear the mark of much more than filler. Solid 12″ EP, love the stippled artwork.

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ARTIST:	WRITHING
TITLE:	Eternalised in Rot
RELEASE DATE:	July 24th, 2020
LABEL(S):	Redefining Darkness Records
BUY/LISTEN:	Bandcamp

Melbourne, Australia’s Writhing are releasing their debut EP/demo in style, throwing a lot of great choices at just two three minute death metal songs between the Mark Cooper artwork, the pristine render from Dan Lowndes (Resonance Sound) and slick tape from Redefining Darkness Records. I’m not sure why you’d release a 7 minute CD but hey, most death metal bands these days have more merch than they do songs so, whatever. With that said, the level of polish and presentation still goes pretty far with me, bits of Ulcerate and Immolation-esque spiral madness set the first piece off in good form, I’m into it… Until I close my eyes and wait for a riff to hit me. *loading* Eh, the break around the two minute mark is pretty fantastic, though, and “Void of Derision” is successful in demonstrating the whole package intended on further releases. The title track offers quite a bit more variety, still digging into familiar territory but mapping out several riffs, changes, and a mid-to-fast paced roll that brings satisfying steamroller in between slower motions. I see the potential here even if the point of view and taste level are more interesting than the riffs themselves yet.

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ARTIST:	CARDIAC ARREST
TITLE:	The Day That Death Prevailed
RELEASE DATE:	July 27th, 2020
LABEL(S):	Memento Mori [CD], Boris Records [Vinyl]
BUY/LISTEN:	Bandcamp

Back with a seventh full-length just a couple years past their sixth (and my favorite) record ‘A Parallel Dimension of Despair’ Chicago pure death metal veterans Cardiac Arrest are punching out garage door kicking down n’ riffing death metal here on ‘The Day That Death Prevailed’. Raw, no filler, brutal, and sounding like a pro-rehearsal tape the major appeal here is the simple execution and ripping energetics in hand when firing up this record; It sounds like I’m having my head torn off in real time in the era of Master, Devastation, and especially Cianide circa the mid-90’s where they’d picked up some kicking speed. That distinction is important because it isn’t necessarily groove that powers this record but a roll keeps its momentum firing off a thrilling salvo of the first three tracks before the brilliant “Plague Ridden Destiny” cuts in with its mid-paced savagery. “Endless Dread” punctuates the second half of the album in a similar fashion, leaning towards ‘Mental Funeral’ for a second before picking up this bigger thrash groove on the way out, definitely owing some spirit to the Chicago death metal forefathers. Ballsy, noisome, and straight to the point songwriting really carries this ~half hour record as a solid listening experience.

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ARTIST:	SOULROT
TITLE:	Victims of Spiritual Warfare
RELEASE DATE:	July 27th, 2020
LABEL(S):	Memento Mori
BUY/LISTEN:	Memento Mori Mailorder

Although they hail from Valparaíso, Chile with origins stretching back to the early 90’s you’d think death metal trio Soulrot were formed in Stockholm circa 1991 based off of their pure Swedish death metal influenced sound and songwriting. The punkish, cavernous rip of the classics is here on their second full-length ‘Victims of Spiritual Warfare’ but I’d direct this one towards fans of Nirvana 2002, God Macabre, and Interment where shorter and often Nihilist-obsessed songwriting lead to catchier, simpler pieces that have a classic hardcore punk appeal on some level. The album itself is very straightforward in presentation, not only the black and white illustration but the uber traditional Swedish death metal within. Although it is energetic and incredibly well-written stuff you’ll have to look beyond the very familiar guitar sound to find the guts, the tripas of the record where songs like “Protect the Coven” offer bristling energy and psychotic shocks of speed. So, it might seem (and sound) like just another Swedeath buzzer but this one begins to speak for itself beyond tradition once you’ve sat with it for a few spins.

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ARTIST:	DROUTH
TITLE:	Excerpts From a Dread Liturgy
RELEASE DATE:	July 31st, 2020
LABEL(S):	Translation Loss Records
BUY/LISTEN:	Bandcamp

Formed as Contempt in the early 2010’s and renamed Drouth after a former member of Vermin Womb joined circa 2014 this Portland, Oregon-based atmospheric black/death metal band features a lush post-black metal sound crossed with blasting dissonance and some moderately melodicism along the way making for a very modern and polished debut. 7-10 minute pieces are a bit too extended for their own good on the full listen, which drags even at just 41 minutes in length. Where ‘Excerpts From a Dread Liturgy’ redeems its inherent contradiction of forms (blasting black/death metal, melodic post-black metal) lies in the pieces driven by melodic guitar leads, such as closer “A Crown of Asphodels’, where the band resembles the apex predator of 90’s semi-melodic black metal untouched by orchestration or Wagnerian intent. For my own taste this amounts to background music most of the time, the hard/soft dynamic of post-black metal is uninteresting and dry even when applied next to boldly aggressive sections that amplify that juxtaposition. Opener “A Drowning in Sunlight” fight through this dryness by way of detailed and oft-shifting focus but the majority of the other pieces focus so intently on singular atmospheric ‘breaks in the clouds’ that much of their lengths amount to blustering (though not entirely aimless) crescendo. Though I enjoyed a fair amount of the material here I’m not convinced the projects marriage to black/death metal influences is all that vital to their bottom line, it feels much more like a post-metal act in waiting.

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ARTIST:	KING GORM
TITLE:	King Gorm
RELEASE DATE:	July 31st, 2020
LABEL(S):	Self-Released
BUY/LISTEN:	Bandcamp

Late 70’s prog rock psychedelia and a thirst for old-timey storytelling make for warm bedfellows here in the spirit-crushing heat of the summer of the year from Hell. The ever exuberant Francis Roberts (Old Man Wizard) welcomes the listener immediately as this self-titled debut from this fairly new quartet he has assembled among San Diego, California-area musicians; His voice is naturally accompanied by the ramblin’ heavy psych punch of effects-dripping guitar runs and Hammond organ pumps of “Freedom Calls”, perhaps the most substantive and engaging piece of the full listen and a strong opener few would deny entry. The album chills out heavily until well into the second half from that point, picking back up around choice single “Beyond Black Rainbow”. This sort of songwriting is more common today due to the popularity of bands like Ghost but King Gorm have found a warm and fuzzy spot within their more boppin’ mid-paced rock songs where narrative gusto on Roberts‘ part matches with dual guitar leads and synths that bleed into the poppier spectrum of early 80’s prog at times. The effect is surprisingly feelgood, brisk and lively throughout. The second half of the album is the ‘meat’ of the experience as the final four pieces are where King Gorm essentially stick their landing and deliver upon the promise of “Freedom Calls”, edging towards more complex rhythms and expressive performance from Roberts. A fine debut, spirited to say the least.

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ARTIST:	GEIST & THE SACRED ENSEMBLE
TITLE:	Waning Hymns
RELEASE DATE:	July 31st, 2020
LABEL(S):	Scry Recordings
BUY/LISTEN:	Bandcamp

‘Waning Hymns’ aims to be the sound bath to wash away the unreal we clothe our naked, easily frightened minds with. Not simply the self-oppression that materialistic culture and social media brings but the unreal sense of rivalry instilled by manipulative overseers, propagandists, and various unwilling accomplice. Geist & The Sacred Ensemble manage this by way of inherently psychedelic neofolk, Swans-esque and occasionally psychotic eyes-wide confrontation. Their movements are inherently ritualistic, working off the meter of a fairly calm heartbeat and intensifying only to make a point. “Advaita” may not be as unhinged as say, an early 2000’s Neurosis record in spirit but the chance for a paradigm shift is just as real for the listener where surrealism isn’t merely a venue for intoxication but diversion of unwarranted societal feeding tube(s).

Though ‘Waning Hymns’ bears the mark of ‘art music’ as it presents itself the experience is much more engaging and coherent than it’d let on, as I said the goal of the music is as important as its inherent expression. “Volition” doesn’t intend to take the mind off of the issue but rather presses it like a gigantic red button, clearly stating the target of its disdain, the loss of empathy and identity that comes with information overload. It couldn’t be a more appropriate spectre of what alienation and dissociation so many are feeling in 2020 and I’d greatly appreciate the crossing of mind-altering tunefulness and direct lyricism, as such there is no mistaking the desired effect however it may land. “Century of the Self” might even be too direct in this sense but at that point you’ve already relished in this type of expression or ducked out of it. I found myself leaning into it, loving it enough to recommend its doomed and ‘lost’ folk sound.

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If I missed your favorite album from 2020, whoa! E-mail me or hit me up on Instagram if you want me to review it. If you’re in a band and you want a review of your latest, hit the Contact page and send me a copy, I’ll consider it.