I have been told that dark and wonderful things are happening in Finland, and "Suomi supernova" Devouring Star backs that up. The intellect of Ulcerate meets the otherworldy black metal of Deathspell Omega on Through Lung and Heart. Something to tide you over until Mitochondrion make their long awaited return. [$7]
Simply naming a band after a Morbid Angel song is no guarantee that they'll have the grandmasters' musical acumen; thankfully Czech band Heaving Earth have the chops to live up to their name. MA is an obvious reference point on Denouncing the Holy Throne, but there are also nods to Behemoth at their most brutal/technical, as well as some of the recent work by Gorguts/Ulcerate. A good representation of what death metal should be, and maybe a hint that even greater things are to come. [€7]
Featuring two members of the under-rated Temple of Baal, The Order of Apollyon play a similarly demonic slice of blackened death metal. The Sword and the Dagger is chock full of hooks and killer riffs; and if the pace seems a tad restrained at times, it's more than made up for by the band's impeccable performance. [€7.99]
Gorguts and Ulcerate are probably lurking in the record collections of California's intriguing Teeth. The slow menace of sludge and death metal's high musical IQ collide on Unremittance - shuffling rhythms morphing into blastbeats and back again as if it ain't no thing. It's nice to hear a band trying to bring something new to the sludge table. The album is available as a "name your price" download.
