Revenge - Strike. Smother. Dehumanize (2020)

Revenge have a special place in extreme metal. Their "war metal" is pure and concentrated extreme metal at its most brutal, chaotic and low-fi. Black/death pushed to the point it's nearly grind. And that with an unpredictable and unconventional playing (especially the drumming of leader James Read) and songwriting that makes it very special. In their new album, Strike. Smother. Dehumanize there's even a kind of barbaric groove making its way among the merciless beating. Once again, Revenge delivers one of the most intense and memorable metal album of the year.

The BC page.

The Tunnel - The Use of One's Power (2019)

Simple but effective techno from Tunnel, the four tracks of The Use of One's Power goes from warehouse rave style hardcore techno bangers to more quiet anguished and futuristic atmosphere's. Good stuff.

The BC page. 
 

Chepang - Chatta (2020)

Chatta is Chepang's third album, still with Nerve Altar, and they managed again to evolve while keeping the very high quality level. Chatta is a very dynamic album, with catchy and straight to the point songs, but also because of the diversity introduced by sax playing and some guitar soloing on some tracks, and generally by a songwriting that doesn't care about following some fixed formulas. The last track reminds Painkiller, with some Nepalese percussions, and then, surprise, comes a few remixes, drum & bass and breakcore style. I prefer the "normal" grind part of the album, but this remixed part is ok. Why not?

The BC page.

Demonic Death Judge - The Trail (2020)

I've been following Demonic Death Judge since their third album The descent in 2011. With their new one, their sixth, The Trail their offer something slightly different and I'd say it's their best one. The songs still have the excellent riffing, the heaviness and the groove, but on The Trail they added some more epicness, soul and atmosphere with some nice instrumentals, either in an acoustic americana style or with the voodoo psychedelia of Fountain of Acid. Like the excellently chosen cover photograph, The Trail breath wilderness and grandeur. Albums of this quality can make them a place among the "big names" of stoner / doom music. Excellent stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

IconAclass - Changing Culture with Revolvers (2020)

Eight years after the last one, here's a new IconAclass release called Changing Culture with Revolvers, and it's really good. IconAclass is Will Brooks of Dälek as MC and producers, and Dev-One sharing the mic with him, and Mixmaster Motiv doing the cuts (yes it still exists!). The music reminds Dälek but is a lot more old-school boom-bap, with a dark but also melancholic vibe. Good prods, good emceeing, smart lyrics, good cuts, the album is delivering all we could expect from those guys. Thank you!

The BC page. 

Active Shooter - Sign of the Times (2019)

First album from Active Shooter, a powerviolence/grind band from Houston/Texas. In Sign of the Times they just follow closely a well known recipe, but they do it very well and better than most. Also, sparing us the useless samples, feedback intros and sludge parts to stay relentless and straight to the point is a very good point for them and it works wonder.  Excellent stuff!

The BC page.

Nat Birchall - Sounds Almighty (2018)

Here's something a lot more relaxed that your usual Blasting Days music. Nat Birchall is a dub/spiritual jazz sax player from the UK and Sounds Almighty is an album released in 2018 of best quality instrumental analogic dub (with a more live sound than on the new album Nat Birchall did with Al Breadwinner, which is more digital dub with sax part over it, another very good dub album and I enjoy it, but prefer Sounds Almighty). Sounds Almighty is probably the best dub album I heard for the last few years. Great stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

Filth Pig - The Ominous Euphoria (2020)

Filth Pig is a German one-man industrial metal band. As you can guess there is an obvious 90' Ministry influence, but Filth Pig has also its own formula that is evolving album after album, whereas the second one was more synth based, this third one The Ominous Euphoria, is a return to the more guitar driven sound of the first album, without being a repeat of it. Anyway those three albums are excellent and this new one is maybe the best. Dark and violent industrial metal served by a really good songwriting. Nobody's talking about it, maybe because it's quite out of fashion, but I really recommend it!

The Bandcamp page.

Defeated Sanity - The Sanguinary Impetus (2020)

Defeated Sanity are back. Back with a new album called The Sanguinary Impetus. And back to their normal self after an album (Disposal of the Dead / Dharmata) where first half condensed their brutal side and second half condensed their more prog/tech side (and that was a very good album, by the way). The Sanguinary Impetus is "normal" Defeated Sanity, which means at the same time super brutal and super technical, not like some other bands where brutal parts and more tech/melodic parts succeed to each other, but brutal and technical really at the same time, with technically played brutality all the way. And time again they just kill it with impressive mastery and excellent songwriting. Best brutal and technical death metal album so far this year.

The Bandcamp page.

Hakai - No Flesh Shall Be Spared (2020)

I was about to review one of the newest Blush Response albums (maybe will do that later, it's really good stuff) when I saw he had this new release, as Hakai, in collaboration with Jagoda Nagel (whom I don't know). And it's an impressive release, more straightforward and less complex than the usual Blush Response sound, but excellent as well and massively effective and addictive. No Flesh Shall Be Spared is four tracks of industrial & hardcore techno with an underground rave vibe, hard hitting and heavy beats with a darkly pulsating atmosphere. No fillers, all bangers. Recommended!

The BC page.

Fed Ash - Diurnal Traumas (2020)

Fed Ash (from Syracuse, NY) is a new band that click all of today's "right boxes", blending their hardcore with black metal, grind, sludge and harsh noise. You could find that irritating, but fact remain that they do it with fierce efficiency and the result, like in their new album Diurnal Traumas, is excellent, so why not? They also did two really good splits with Crystal Methodists and Landfill. Good stuff.

The BC page.