Irkallian Oracle - Grave Ekstasis

"The esoteric Death Metal played by Irkallian Oracle superbly reflects the interwoven traditions of Death and Black metal with the arcane ritualistic nature of the latter subsumed within the physically oppressive structure of the former. Considering this is the first release from this band, it seems obvious that Irkallian Oracle is poised to assume a stature commensurate with other similarly oriented bands such as Dead Congregation and Necros Christos. The lyrical and conceptual framework of Irkallian Oracle is equally impressive – the depth of the non-musical content on this recording requires particularly intense immersion to fully apprehend. Due to the praise immediately heaped upon it, the “Grave Ekstasis” tape sold out rapidly."

Purchase: http://nuclearwarnowproductions.bandcamp.com/album/grave-ekstasis

Releases of the year 2013

A bit late to the party here are my picks for releases of the year for 2013:

Aosoth - An arrow in heart

An awesome album with solid song writing.
Stand out tracks: An Arrow In Heart, Ritual Marks Of Penitence

Ævangelist - Omen Ex Simulacra

 Ævangelist continue to evolve their style Omen Ex Simulacra.
Stand out tracks: The Devoured Aeons Of Stygian Eternity, The Æbelisk

Portal - Vexoviod

Years after Swarth Portal release a new ritual to blight the world. Vexoviod is a great album but didn't reach the same level of quality as Swarth yet still made it onto this list.
Stand out tracks:Plasm, The Back Wards

Abyssal - Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius

Once again Abyssal surprised me with a release a year after their amazing debut. With improvements all round Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius consolidates their place in this list.
Stand out tracks: The Last King, A Sheath of Deceit

Altars - Paramnesia

Pretty cool debut album from a band I had never heard of before.
Stand out tracks: Husk, Terse

Antediluvian - λόγος

Logos gets dirty album of the year. An awesome mixing job gives the album a very organic sound.
Stand out tracks: The Ash and the Stars, Beyond Diurnal Winds

Gorguts - Colored Sands

The return of Gorguts while not as good as Obscura is still a solid album. Though it is let down by a few weaker tracks such as forgotten arrows.
Stand out tracks: Ember's Voice, An Ocean of Wisdom

Inquisition - Obscure Verses for the Multiverse

A slow grower for me but I eventually got bitten by the Inquisition bug.
Stand out tracks: Infinite Interstellar Genocide, Spiritual Plasma Evocation, Obscure Verses for The Multiverse

Mitochondrion - Antinumerology

The EP that ends with me wanting more.
Stand out tracks: Insummation, 137 (Mors Formulae)

Ulcerate - Vermis

Another Uclerate album, another album of the year slot. Ulcerate continue to create music which hooks me from the instant I hear it. Seeing it played live was an experience I will never forget.
Stand out tracks: Await Rescission, Weight of Emptiness

Demonomicon - Apparatus

Standing at the fringe of death metal with acts such as Ævangelist and Portal; Apparatus's  Demonomicon is dissonance to an extreme and could cause constant anxiety at a subconscious level much like Cthulhu itself. Some riffs remind me of Negativa from their 2006 EP while others seem closer to such bands as Ulcerate and Portal.With such a  style this demo should please most extreme metal fans. This demo tickles my need for the most messed up Blackend Death Metal its churning dissonant riffs swirl in a assault of blast beats worthy of the Old ones.


This demo is available to download on their bandcamp page with a name your price download, so have a listen and if you really enjoy it give them a little something for it.

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

Nucriist Fogd - Demo 2013

Listen

Demo MMXIII - Malthusian

Buy it: http://invictusproductions666.bandcamp.com/album/demo-mmxiii

Devouring Star - Demo 2013

http://devouringstar.bandcamp.com/

(Currently embedding bandcamp albums seems to be broken.)

Altars - Paramnesia

Altars debut Paramnesia is a meeting of traditional Death Metal groove with some modern flavorings which we see out of bands such as Mitochondrion and Ulcerate. Paramnesia is a very well paced and quite dynamic album with a good grasp on solid grooves making Altars a band to watch out for.