• SHRT REVWS • This condensed version of short(er) reviews focuses on releases arriving in the first half of May covering epic heavy/doom metal, technical death metal, black/death metal, funeral doom metal and more. // In an attempt to be more conversational these are more easygoing and casual than longform reviews, so relax and think for yourself. — If you find something you dig go tell the band on social media and support them with a purchase! If you’d like your music reviewed, read the FAQ and send promos to: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

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Linköping, Sweden-based heavy metal quintet VIRAL have returned for an even more inspired second full-length album with ‘The Merchant‘, another respectable self-released prospect from these folks. Though they carry a shared love for the melodic nature of NWOBHM as a point of purpose these folks likewise draw from thrash, power metal and heavy rock for their traditional sound, one which admires the range of NWOTHM stuff in more recent years but carries a pretty steady swagger without the AOR/Gothic side of things in sight. You’ll hear Maiden in their movement here and there but also shades of Megadeth‘s rhythmic runs and Manilla Road‘s cadence (“Bow to Me”, “Oceans”) alongside kinda standard hard rock oriented songs (“Maverick”). I’d felt their sound was hard-edged enough to carry all of these guitar driven statements within reason though their use of melody is largely relegated to 80’s heavy metal ideas without switching it up all that often, this means a song like “Enigma” hits nearly the same as opener “Shake Your Shackles” though each provides an ear catching and complete thought. They break things up a bit more nearby the end, those last couple of songs suggest a mix of epic storytelling and speed metal is the strength of the band though in their current self-driven state the standards are high and the music reasonably memorable. I saw a lot of promise in their self-titled debut a number of years ago and here I still feel like we’re getting an authentic self-directed result and good solid Swedish heavy metal in general.

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The conversation surrounding improvised metal music typically goes in one of two directions: Suggesting the collective’s state of mind/intended illustration with an emphasis on expression as the value of experience or praise for the resumes of the artists involved. Both are relevant though when I spend time with a record like ‘Enter the Misanthropocene‘, the sophomore full-length LP from Chicago/Minneapolis-based quartet+ ABHORRENT EXPANSE my concern is whether or not these sessions include breakthroughs, peaks and valleys, a chemistry celebrated beyond a randomly generated “broken” musical experience. The difficulty which arises here is that I believe these folks’ve intended something chaotic and busted-through, an experience which never quite syncs up as each fellowe cuts their path via guitar noodling, mouth noises, erratic percussion, and occasionally glorious synth. The intensely liminal, sceneless “Drenched Onyx” and the aluminum processing rattle of “Ascension Symptom Acceleration” take us to the suggested pending state of extinction ahead but most listeners are more likely to be drawn to the active, aggressive pieces here such as opener “Enter the Misanthropocene”, the spray-n’-pray of “Assail the Density Matrix” and the grinding bursts of “Praise for Chaos”. Those songs probably communicate the album’s concept best but for my own taste their connection made the most sense during the slower, minimally struck pieces sans any vocal contribution. The person whom this is for will likely identify it by sight but if you’re big on Sarmat and Chaos Echoes don’t expect a scene to be set by the full listen, at least not with that level of coherence applied.

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From the demented gnashing mouth of Swedish melodic black/death metal at its near-apex statement CARDINAL SIN was a very brief but potent amalgam spearheaded by former Dissection guitarist John Zwetsloot who is also known for his (session) guitar work for the first two Nifelheim records. The band (technically a quintet, but a trio on record) existed for about two years and also featured folks from Marduk, Darkified, The Ancient’s Rebirth and the yet underrated Decameron most of whom had been active in this scene or nearby from the start. Looking back on the original release, a somewhat rare high-priced item for many years, it was a shot in the arm fans of this sound will appreciate but had its own death-thrashing quality yet it ultimately served as a false start despite the high standard served. The quality of the original songs were stellar in their ideation and the band appeared readied to overtake their region via an imposing line-up but at the time it was perceived as more of the same, not distinct enough, leaving fans with several other comparatively mild options which’d carried on regardless.

The original release came from Wrong Again circa 1996 and contained three songs with one brief instrumental but here Regain have revised this release via a remaster from maestro and original member/engineer Devo Andersson which now includes three previously unreleased tracks from those same sessions. I won’t speak to the originals beyond the quality of the remaster, which gives some extra volume to the vocal sessions and clarifies the rhythm section in a beautiful way, but I will say that the two original pieces included were very much up to the standard of what they’d released on the original CD. “Fallen From Life’s Enlightened Throne” is satisfyingly death-thrash oriented a la “Probe With a Quest” though I can see why they cut some of these ideas, maybe the intro to “Ante Mortem” was too “fun” and their cover of Death‘s “Infernal Death” emphasizes the fact that it is basically a couple of stolen Slayer riffs delivered in a straight line. Of course however you’d digest it today Cardinal Sin’s sole release is a classic relic from the peak of a short-lived period of inspired ideation which should appeal to folks interesting in melodic death metal as well as those chasing the complete breadth of melodic black metal. Here it receives its most complete and best restored version to date. The additional songs here are a revelation from my point of view and justify its purchase outright. Now if only ‘My Shadow…‘ would receive the same level of care or archive.

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Rhode Island-based gore-obsessed death metal duo RETCHING self-released this debut LP late last year via Bandcamp but now about a year later it has been picked up by Transcending Obscurity and Iron Fortress Records. I think at one point last month I had eight of these “new old school” style death metal albums in hand and barely three riffs among ’em, so, I dunno if the ninth down the line stands out enough to shock my shit loose but ‘Charming the Decomposed‘ is not a bad record in any sense. Most of these ~four minute grindcore and brutal death stoked songs aim for eruptive aggression beyond a number of dryly curated samples and yet this isn’t just another boring mosh metal riff band pretending to like ‘old school’ shit. A few of the walking-speed riffs in the second half of “Premature Decapitation” actually hit and there is a satisfying buzz to a song like “Foaming” but I dunno if the typical sub-genre enthusiast will escape the feeling they’ve heard it all, if so inclined. Great sounding record though for all the time I’d spent with it virtually none of it stuck in mind, there are too many bands that sound like this in 2025.

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Richmond, Virginia-based noise rock quartet PRAYER GROUP return for an intensely atmospheric, kinda hi-fi cranked version of their sound here on this latest EP. ‘Strawberry‘ is no less action oriented, shouting grievances and grooving hard within minutes here but they’ve definitely cracked open a bigger sound and experimented a bit more with tones/temperament herein. You might recall I’d loved the band’s debut LP (‘Michael Dose‘, 2022) a few years back as it’d been a more aggro, sludgier and textural feed compared to a lot of the straightforward sludge rocking stuff of late but I think this sound should perk the brains of folks who enjoy The Jesus Lizard just as much as Chat Pile or whatever. Existential dread, shouted-through anxiety, the overwhelming flattening of the self via apathy, a decent bassline… I’ve not been able to found the right stuff in noise rock these last few years now but these folks definitely still have it, big fan.

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Santa Rosa, California-based heavy metal troupe VICIOUS RUMORS haven’t slowed up or stalled out all that much since their debut released back in 1985 and if you’re not familiar with ’em consider their inception conscious of the earlier United States power metal influx in the 80’s but with their longevity marked by heavy inspiration taken from the ex-thrasher/groove metal sound of the 90’s not unlike the history of Angel Dust or Metal Church. I’ve not kept up with the band since I’d not liked ‘Word of Mouth‘ (1994) but decided to take a closer listen to this as the previews sounded a bit more related to the old ways. It sounds like they’d selected new vocalist Chalice for the sake of his semblance of their original vocalist (who’d passed back in 1995) to some degree though the vibrato on this new fellow’s voice is a bit more power metal than I’d expected, which to me recalls a sort of (earlier) Flotsam & Jetsam feeling at times. They’ve a new shred-happy guitarist in tow as well so ‘The Devil’s Asylum‘ ends up being a mid-paced heavy metal record with a few thrashers and plenty of shredding n’ wailing any fan of 80’s metal should appreciate. There are maybe 2-3 too many songs here for my own taste, as they’re all four of five minute rock structured pieces, but I don’t think there is an absolute miss among the eleven included. I would skip “Abusement Park” and “Better Than Me” overall but otherwise this is a worthwhile traditional heavy metal record with a heavier edge.

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