Album review: Cancerbero - Reconquering The Throne of Death (2019)

Cancerbero - Reconquering The Throne of Death

Chile

Veins Full of Wrath Productions / Headsplit Records

Chile is a country that is revered for producing some of the best extreme metal the underground has to offer, and bands like Cancerbero is 100% proof of that. They’re one of those cult bands that go back to the ‘80s when they released their first demo in 1988 (“Guardian of Hell”) and their second demo in 1991 (“Perpetual Agony”). It must be noted though that the singer, Peter Claramunt, is the only remaining member from the original line-up, including the fact that the band has had many line-up changes over the years, however they've been resurrected from the grave and reanimated, to bring DEATH to the world once more.

It’s quite hilarious when I see flowery positive language and empathetic phrases with words such as “so nice” and “wonderful” being used in reviews for death metal bands. It’s counteractive to the very nature of the music, and quite frankly, just plain moronic. I’d be insulted if I played dark, violent and abstract death metal and some moron referred to it as “lovely” and “wonderful” or whatever tremendously pathetic hippie buzzwords are popular amongst this new breed of metalheads nowadays – and believe me when I tell you – Cancerbero certainly needs none of that, but I digress. Onto the music...

“Reconquering The Throne of Death” is the band’s second full-length and an absolutely sick release. It was one of the best albums from 2019. Any idiot that disagrees can go self-abort by drinking hydrochloric acid for all I care. This whole album is characterized by a profoundly morbid aura, featuring an array of filthy riffs that render to the blasphemous sound, combined with the totally vile vocals, which I must confess, is perfect for this style. I really like the drums on this. Nothing flashy, yet perfectly arranged and integrated into the mix, featuring a variety of caveman beats that keep it interesting. Believe me when I say there is no shortage of depth to this release – the whole thing radiates filthy charnel vibes that will make you feel like you have just awakened some subterranean creature in a pit drenched in the vile, howling stench of death. Does that sound “nice” and “wonderful” to you? I didn’t think so.

The album has that perfect middle-ground between raw but audible that gives the music its charm. I’d rather listen to this kind of material than most of the cleanly produced vomit that’s called metal nowadays made by pimple-faced geeks that take up space in their mother's basement masturbating to porn. These Chilean warriors are the pure essence of death metal and “Reconquering The Throne of Death" is a must for maniacs into the style. For fans of: Sarcofago, Grave Desecrator, Blaspherian. Favourite track: Evil Incarnate. (HT)

Album review: Skulmagot - Kill and Die (2021)

Skulmagot - Kill and Die

Finland

Headsplit Records

When you look at the cover of this album you might get the impression that the band plays black/thrash, but that's definitely not the case here. If you want a good idea of what Skulmaggot sounds like, then just imagine a mix between bands like (old) Cannibal Corpse, Incantation, and Six Feet Under (Undead era).

In recent times, I’ve come across a lot of bands that sound like poor copycats of Cannibal Corpse, which seems to be a trend nowadays. That being said, the influence is undeniable here, but at least it’s not some uninspired carbon-copy of said band. It’s not a simple mortuary mantle that covers this decomposing corpse, but rather one already corroded with noxious fluids and worms that feed on the deceased. There’s a whole damn aura that surrounds their influences, which is stylistically more in the vein of Cannibal Corpse than Incantation, especially on the first track, "Coffin Relocation," which begins with a rotten riff and melody spawned straight from the darkest fringes of human thought. From that point on, everything spirals out of control and picks up speed. The vocals are surprisingly similar to Chris Barnes, and as the album progresses, one can easily make sense of why I referenced those three bands in the beginning of the review. All in all, it’s a killer and fun little release, despite its short duration of 20 minutes. These maniacs come highly recommended! (Catacombs Walker)