As I have said numerous times, what a sensational year for Death Metal!
And did Germany kick ass!
1) Zombie Riot (Ger) - Reign Of Rotten Flesh, this cd has been number one on my list all year and I wondered if an established band was going to knock it back, but nope. A great cd, from a great up and coming band! Now let us just hope they do not fuck it up and fix what ain't broken because I love it! I am serious guys, give this a chance.
2) Obscenity (Ger) - Summoning The Circle, this band has been a huge favorite of mine, often coming in third all time behind Vomitory and Bolt Thrower, but despite their last being good it was different. Since having a long run with vocalist Oliver Jauch up until 2009 they have used 3 different vocalists on their last 3 albums. On 2016's Retaliation these guys experimented, not excessively but did use some dual and varying backing vocals that did not appeal to me. It is great they have fixed it, gone back to their great style and again are back to kick ass death metal!
3) Damage Source (Ger) - Aeons Of Nothingness, a band that has been around for 10 years or so, but only a demo, single and EP to show so far, until this great release came to us. Very good, but no frills whatsoever, so if you want some straight up death give these guys a listen.
4) All Consumed (UK) - Birth Of Ruin, a somewhat late in the year release coming in mid October could influence this a bit but damn is this some really good death metal. Not an ounce of bullshit with 8 great songs. The only negative to me is 29:37 of playing time. I would really liked to have heard 40 to 45 minutes from these guys! Don't trust MA labeling them Death/Groove/Metalcore as this is straight up DFM!
5) Eteritus (Pol) - Order Of Death, due to all the media and access we have there is almost always warning of new releases, when they are due and very quick communication once they are. This is one that somehow snuck in and maybe was my biggest surprise of the year. I loved their previous and had it high on my 2017 list. This one might be better as these guys are good and have proven that they are not one hit wonders.
6) Mass Infection (Grc) - Shadows Become Flesh, these guys with Resurgency and Blessed By Perversion have been my favorite bands from the land of Greece but actually Mass Infection is highest on that list, and not really due to the greatness of this release. Their 2009 release The Age Of Recreation is one of the best cds in my collection and this new one is climbing high very fast! Yep, 9 songs and no bullshit!
7) Neter (Esp) - Inferus, does it get any better! Minus a 1:02 intro of piano this cd is 45:24 of nothing but death metal. Back in 2015 these guys landed #6 on my EOY list and I commented that I hope they stay on path and follow that great release up! Well guess what! They did!
8) Incremate (Ger) - Violence and Insanity, these guys made #5 on my 2016 EOY list with a superb inaugural cd and they have lost nothing with this one! Nine songs, all from 3:00 to 4:00 minutes with no frills! I love it!
9) Atomwinter (Ger) - Catacombs, a band that is a big favorite of mine, with 2 previous awesome releases! This may be their best, but that is a tough call. Gets no better with 10 songs at 39:58 with only a short intro for me to complain about.
10) Feral (Swe) - Flesh For Funerals Eternal, not much to say but another superb release from another superb Swedish straight up death metal band! In the last year or so I've given these guys a lot of listens, love their prior stuff and looked forward to this for a long time. It does not disappoint!
11) Supreme Carnage (Ger) - Morbid Ways To Die, another band that in the last 3 or 4 years has become a big favorite of mine. They certainly did not disappoint with this release and when you talk about straight up death metal this band is the definition of it. Damn, Germany can do some great death metal!
12) Revolting (Swe) - Monolith Of Madness, what a year for Rogga! He has so many releases this year that I couldn't keep track. This came out as the bell rang for 2018 and to muddy the situation within less than a week Rogga dropped a new Severed Limbs release too. Rogga's stuff is intriquing as sometimes it all sounds the same yet sometimes they sound different and this one is good.
13) Jungle Rot (US) - Jungle Rot, These guys are what I refer to as a band that just does it, cd after cd, nothing new or outstanding, no changes and guess what, never any bullshit! But, this time they changed on me and created a top notch release, and without any doubt my favorite from them so far! There is also a little bonus of something I usually do not like, dual vocals on one song with Schmier of Germany's great thrashers Destruction! I find it quite tolerable and love their awesome cover of another great German band, Kreator with Terrible Certainty!
14) Commander (Ger) - Fatalis (The Unbroken Circle), a band that has been around about 15 years, has 2 previous full lengths that I knew of but never really gave much attention. Well, this one opened my eyes, and ears! Very good solid, straight up, no frills death metal with 9 songs at 41:18 and guess what! I have worn this release out with listens this year!
15&16) Severed Limbs (Swe) - Sores Galore & Grisly (Swe) - The Spectral Wars, these two are in a tie at this position as honestly, if they are in a playlist you cannot tell one from the other. Both are superb releases and quite similar to Rogga's Revolting release above. I am not a 100% Rogga fan as some of his stuff doesn't appeal to me, but these three 2018s work.
17) Carnation (Bel) - Chapel Of Abhorrence, another band that grabbed me with a five song EP back in 2015 and had me waiting to see if they could follow it up....and wow, did they! What do you get, 11 songs = 47:36 and really does not get any better. This really should be higher up the list.
18) Vader (Pol) - Dark Age, I am cheating here, by a little bit anyway. This is a December 28th, 2017 release that we didn't get until 2018 and so worthy I thought it had to be included, and how unique! This is a re-recording of the band's first cd and something I'd love to see other bands do. Modern times bring better quality, better technology and much better sound in my opinion. This release is so much better than the original!
19) Weak Aside (Ger) - Forward Into Darkness, guess what! 10 songs = 40:00 minutes and very good, solid death metal. Not much speed, not much technicality, not much excitement, just great groove with mid paced death metal. Only small negative to me is they have a backup vocalist that is a John Tardy clone, that I could do without but really not a deterrent as he does it well.
20) Wilt (Ger) - Faces Of The Grave, another band from the great death metal country of Germany and another premiere cd from a newer band! I do not know if others recognize it but I sense a uniqueness about these guys sound that I just cannot put my finger on. I really wish I could put this cd higher on my list because it deserves it, but damn, so much great death metal this year!
21) Envig (Swe) - By Human Hands, I am not in the habit of grabbing demos, unless they fall to me somehow but I discovered Envig this way back in 2015 and loved their demo. After a long wait they finally gave me a full length and it does not fail. A solid sounding slab of Swedish death metal, but with enough unique difference to make them sound great. Only negative is the first song has 40 seconds of spoken words that is completely useless, otherwise a great release.
22) Infraktor (Prt) - Exhaust, damn....another premiere cd from a newer band! What you get is 38+ minutes of straight up, no frills death fucking metal, aside from a 4:17 minute outro of sounds that make no sense to me, this is an exceptional release.
23) Infantry (Nld) - Make War Not Love, I am just discovering, this is not a 2018 release and supposedly released mid 2017! I cannot find this anywhere, prior to Sept 2018, so again, do not tell Thorne I am cheating but I feel bad kicking this one out. A solid, thrashy death cd that is really good and worthy so check it out and guess what, another first cd from a new band!
24) Deiformity (Aus) - Corpse Stomper, another great solid release of pure death metal, and another new band! If you are looking for frills, dual vocals or anything progressive go somewhere else.
25) Vomitile (Cyp) - Pure Eternal Hate, another band I've listened to a bit in the past and not really a lot, but this is a very good one. More pure death, no intros, outros, dual vocals or anything elaborate. Why do I get these guys confused with Vistery? Both have three full lengths, both do not attempt to fix what ain't broke in death metal and both are "V" bands!
26) Deadborn (Ger) - Dogma Anti God, I have read people saying this sounds like Psycroptic, Decapitated & of course Necrophagist and no wonder, considering there are two members of that now defunct great band here. They were very short term with Necrophagist though, so I don't get the comparison. I don't know, it has a techy edge to it but in my opinion they have their own sound and 9 songs at 36 minutes of pretty much no bullshit.
27) Ammonium (Rus) - Act Of War, with only one previous full length, but because it was so good these guys are maybe my favorite band from the land of Russia. With bands like Trigger, Butcher House, Septory, Monumental Torment & Merlin this is quite a feat. Again, only negative is it is a little short at 30 minutes and has 3 totally worthless songs of just strange sounds.
28) Deicide (US) - Overtures Of Blasphemy, I've always been a fan of Deicide, like everything from them and over the years have collected their complete discography via vinyl in the early years, then cd as they came available. This one is better than good though and quite possibly my favorite of all. Do not judge the past in regards to them and do give this one a listen.
29) Warkunt (Fra) - Of Ruins And Agony, another new band! I am really impressed with this release and given some time it more than likely would have been higher. More pure straight up death metal with the only negative, just as the UK's All Consumed above is, this being only 30:00 minutes long.
30) Demonical (Swe) - Chaos Manifesto, in the last year or so I have become a big fan of these guys as I didn't give them much attention when their previous stuff was released. This new one doesn't quite meet up to the standards of their last but it is still good and gets many plays from me. If you like Swedish death go for these guys!
31) Ashes Reborn (Prt) - Contamination, some really good thrashy death from a band that has been active for 8 years with only a previous EP. I never heard of them prior to now but glad I stumbled on this one as it is a very worth while release and at 9 songs = 41 minutes what else would you expect!
32) Tortharry (Cze) - Sinister Species, what death a metal machine these guys are, and what a disappointment I was never able to find some of their early stuff on the store shelves while searching metal in the pre internet/download era. This is a very good, solid death metal release with excellent vocals, good instrumentation and a heavy edge.
33) Vistery (Blr) - Death Is Dead, another band that has been fairly active the last few years, with two prior full lengths that I have paid no attention to. This will probably not appeal to many as it is another drab, boring, slab of straight up death metal, but guess what! I like it. Hate to tell these guys but "death ain't dead"!
34) Dark Century (Can) - Under Disorder, with only about 10 plays I sort of neglected this one a bit. It came out early in the year when I was occupied with a few of the above so these guys are making up for lost time now, getting more listens from me lately. Canada has been active this year.
35) Gravestone (Swe) - Sickening, here we go again with another real good slab of Swede death metal and another new band with their first release! With Entrails guitarist Pontus Samuelsson doing vocals and that great sounding buzzsaw guitar it is no wonder these guys are good.
36) Pannychida (Rus) - Missense Mutation, interesting release here, with a unique or different kind of death metal sound. A bit of an awkward name kind of kept me away from this but as I listened, it became more and more appealing and called me back to be played. Some slight technicality but pretty much straight up 9 songs at 42+ minutes of good death metal.
37) Krisiun (Bra) - Scourge Of The Enthroned, very good release and much like Deicide I've been a decent fan of these guys since their beginning. In fact I am enjoying this as much or more than anything they've ever done. Until this maybe Southern Storm was my favorite Krisiun cd but not anymore.
38) Skeletal Remains (US) - Devouring Mortality, I've seen some negative reviews and have to say I don't understand. A very good, solid release with good vocals and great instrumentation. These guys also released a single earlier in the year, so add that, get the bonus edition, which I strongly suggest and you get 51:12 of nothing but pure death metal! By the way, the bonus is a cover of Cancer's great Hung, Drawn and Quartered! Speaking of whom, check below!
39) Cancer (UK) - Shadow Gripped, from the band that created To The Gory End back in the early days of death and with their original lineup back in the saddle! This is a really solid release and although not high up my list something I really enjoy and have listened to quite often...and will do more in the future.
40) Ribspreader (Swe) - The Van Murders - Part 2, more Rogga but unlike Severed Limbs and Grisly he does have some help here. I've been up and down with these guys over the years, having loved their early stuff, then putting them aside for awhile. But, have to admit, this one and their previous are bringing me back. Also, after this release they are no longer just a Swede band, see below under EPs/Splits/Singles.
41) Spirit Of Rebellion (Can) - The Reign Of Denial, good solid Canadian death metal band with a bunch of previous releases that I really have not given any attention. Maybe I should! Although I haven't listened much to their past stuff, they are labeled "black/death" by Metal Archives, and on this release I hear nothing but straight up death.
42) Monstrosity (US) - The Passage Of Existence, a big fan of this band in the mid 90s, but there have been lineup changes since. After a decade since their last full lenght, the guys are back. Although there is only one consistent member their sound has remained pretty much the same for 25+ years and this release is no exception. A very good one that needs more plays but as I have said before, "there is too much death and not enough life". Also, 57:43 minutes of playing time and I wish my favorite releases (and other things) could be that long!
43) Introtyl (Mex) - Creation Of Insanity, when this one came out it stunned me so much, and completely had my interest. It is a very good release and great quality death metal from a complete band of females, which is pretty rare. The only negative is a total length of 24:04, but otherwise straight up, pure death metal and not too many women do vocals like this! Do not assume that this will be melo, or anything else but solid death and really should be higher.
44) Gluttony (Swe) - Cult Of The Unborn, not great, not bad and no where near as pushy to be played as their previous, but still a decent slab of death metal. A littel short at only 31 minutes but still a reasonably good listen.
45) Insanity Unveiled (Zaf) - World Of Deception, a rarity here as this is two years in a row that we've had a good release out of South Africa. Last year we had Maximum Carnage and now these guys! Keep it up ZAF! These guys have a true death metal sound with some really great instrumenation in my opinion.
46) Bloodland (Ger) - Chronicles Of Death, another first full length band and again, nothing different but just good pure death metal with a heavy edge. I can't put this real high on my list as there are others a bit better but this is good.
47) Funeratus (Bra) - Accept The Death, what do we have, straight up no frills Death Fucking Metal from the land of our buddy Lord Frost! Great stuff and should get more listens because these guys do it right.
48) Zealot Cult (Irl) - Spiritual Sickness, yep...another band that does it right, with 8 songs = 41:07 + no bullshit. Also, another John Tardy sounding vocalist and does it good. Some really solid riffs in this Irish death and by the looks of these guys on their Metal Archives page I don't expect to see them in kilts playing bagpipes!
49) Morbid Illusion (Swe) - In The Crypt Of The Stifled, another newer Swedish band with a rough or raw edge to them, unlike most of the sound from Sweden, but I like it. The vocals are really raw but compliment the music well so I am curious to see how these guys will evolve.
50) Gruesome (US) - Twisted Prayers, I have never given Gruesome's prior releases any attention but have to admit this is good. A little slow or melo for me at times, it is the style of death metal I love. Another really good release that if death metal was not so much alive I'd be sure to be playing a lot more.
More bands that created good stuff....
Eroded (Ita)
Wombripper (Rus)
Prospective Reign (Fin)
Ectoplasma (Grc)
Gravewards (Grc)
Fleshless (Cze)
Hell Is Here (US)
The Grotesquery (Int)
Abythic (Ger)
Gutter Instinct (Swe)
Carnage (Rus)
Deiquisitor (Dnk)
Dig Me No Grave (Rus)
Storm Upon The Masses (Bel)
Unleashed (Swe)
Desdemonia (Lux)
Wombbath (Swe)
Just Before Dawn (Int)
Lectern (Ita)
Drawn And Quartered (US)
Outre Tombe (Can)
Those Who Bring The Torture (Swe)
Down Among The Dead Men (Swe)
Demonbreed (Ger) - Hunting Heretics [ep], best EP of 2019, enough said!
Open Surgery (Swe) - After Birth Abortion [ep]
Ribspreader (Swe/US) - Comorbid Diagnosis [split], another superb Rogga release only this time he decided to go out of country for help and Ribspreader has now become international. What happened to the members that created his other 2018 release I don't know but they are now Swe/US.....but still Rogga.
Ribspreader (Swe/US) - Cancun Deathride [ep], more solid Rogga death.
Slaughterday (Ger) [ep]
Humiliation (Mys) [split]
To Descend (Swe) [ep]
Gatecreeper (US) [split]
Graveyard (Esp) [ep]
Misery Index [single]
Nightbearer (Ger) [ep]
Puteraeon (Swe) [ep]
Sentient Horror [ep]
Carnal Garden (Grc) [split]
Misanthrope Monarch (Ger) [single]