Malichor: "The Serum"

Lovecraftian metal that presents the author's more visceral side

We come to find ourselves once again in the company of Australia's Malichor, brandishing the proud tradition of blackened thrash metal with wild fervour as per usual. From previous experience with the band I have come to expect nothing but the best in ruthlessness and riffing that takes to straight to Lovecraft's most tenebrous nightmares. Inspired by equal measures Re-Animator and From Beyond - Two absolute classics of Lovecraftian horror cinema, both starring Jeffrey Combs - we're being spoiled with a take on the classic mythos, but without the by now standardised Cthulhu/Azathoth shtick.

Dèigh: "Nothingness"

Blatant disregard for quality or musicianship

Having started out some time in 2012 in Madrid, Spain, Dèigh as an entity works its way towards the term abrasive black metal with a demo in 2012 and the Nothingness EP in 2013. Precious little is know about the project, however, by the time Nothingness is released, pertaining to the traditional atmosphere of mystique surrounding many branches of black metal.

Xasthur: "Parole Fearing"

A legend returns in a new guise

Xasthur shouldn't need much of an introduction to fans of black metal. Created originally in 1995 by Scott "Malefic" Conner, the entity was a cornerstone of American black metal until he ceased the project in 2010. In 2012 Conner started Nocturnal Poisoning, an acoustic folk project with stripped down aesthetics, vocalless and not always accompanied by rhythm instrumentation or percussion.

Though not an actual continuation of the depressive tunes of his former project, the melodies in many ways felt akin to those of Xasthur. In 2015 Conner announced that he would be performing Nocturnal Poisoning material under the Xasthur name, and on April 29th 2016, a new song surfaced.

Amputation Spree: "Messiah"

Unchallenging "thinking man's slam"

To some the slight difference between death metal and brutal death, and the difference between brutal death metal and slamming brutal death metal is so minuscule that they simply don't care. Admittedly these sub-sub-subgenres can be incredibly similar. Like Suffocation and Dying Fetus popularised brutal death metal, bands like Devourment popularised slam, and more and more slamming brutal death metal bands are popping up in different guises. The one-man project Amputation Spree from North Carolina labels itself as the "thinking man's slam".

Damnum Animus: "Forgotten by the Waves"

The return of the unlikely union

Damnum Animus, the one man band from North Carolina, experiments once again with the unlikely union of classical instrumentation and traditional black metal. The previous EP I reviewed by Damnum Animus was a confident delivery of 'sombre classically-inspired black metal' with a clear atmospheric focus, and he has clearly not abandoned his calling on this single.