Eschaton - Techtalitarian (2025)

I discovered Eschaton ew line-up after discovering their new album Techtalitarian (on Transcending Obscurity records), and I'm not very surprised to find they have Christian Muenzner (ex Necrophagist and ex Obscura) on guitar and Darren Cesca (ex Deeds of Flesh) on drums, among a crew of all experienced musicians. The quality and technicality is obviously very high. What about the music? Technical death metal, for sure, yes, but what I especially like is that they manage to craft song that are faster and more brutal than is usually melodic tech death, while staying very melodic (including some neoclassical elements), they manage to hold all this, fast and brutal and melodic as well, cohesively together. Recommended!

The BC page.

 

Demonic Death Judge - Absolutely Launched (2025)

Absolutely Launched is the seventh album from Demonic Death Judge, and even if my favourite one is still The Trail (released in 2020), this is another good album from DDJ. They keep on producing heavy and groovy stoner/Doom metal, hardened with some aggressive sludge vocals, but softened by a southern rock melodic touch. A nice combination that is really their own and that they get to really master throughout the years. Good stuff!

 

The BC page. 

 

Bong-Ra - Black Noise (2025)

Bong-Ra (Jason Köhnen) has first been known as a breakcore producer, but his love for underground metal is well known and not new (albums filled with samples from metal bands, collaborations, recent doom albums, etc.), so this Black Noise album, worshipping Godflesh through and through, even if it wasn't expected (you never really know what to expect from Bong-Ra!) isn't such a big surprise. But a pleasant one it is, since it's really well done, faithful to its inspiration but also including the Bong-ra touch  (yes, there are of course some jungle elements evoking Godflesh US and Them time, but the album is evoking everything Godflesh did, not only Godflesh at his most electro). Recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Psychic Lemon - The Unheimlich Kingdom (2024)

I'm discovering Psychic Lemon with their fourth album The Unheimlich Kingdom (and thanks to a blog called The Fragmented Flâneur). Their music could be described as a dark and kraut side of psychedelic drone rock. Nothing about oriental melodies or flower power here, the music is trippy in a minimalistic and repetitive way and the mood is more evoking anguish and weirdness than happiness. Excellent stuff!

 

The BC page. 

 

 

 

Drawn And Quartered - Lord of Two Horns (2025)

Last time I reviewed a Drawn And Quartered album was thirteen years ago, and it was already their sixth album... Who would have believed then that they would turn into a k-pop band? Nah, just joking :). Of course they still play some excellent old-school US death metal! Lord of Two Horns is full of cavernous growls, ominous grooves, blast beats, vicious riffing and devilishly twisted lead guitar parts. Good to know you always can rely on bands like Drawn And Quartered to keep the underground strong! Death is forever, isn't it? Recommended.

 

The BC page. 

 

 

Dephosphorus - Planetoktonos (2025)

It's great to be able to listen to a new Dephosphorus album, five years after the previous one. As you can guess, Planetoktonos continues the cosmic theme of the band, but also explore it further with some sc-fi atmospheric moments (is it guitar effects, analog synths, samples? all of that?). But don't expect some super long progressive tracks, as they always do, Dephosphorus manage to integrate this atmospheric element into short and raging songs blending black, death metal and grind. Good stuff, as expected.

 

The BC page. 

 

 

Babylon Dead - Book of the Dead (2020)

Book of the Dead (released five years ago, if you missed it, here's a new chance, don't fail to take it!) is the second album from Babylon dead (J Man and Ilinformed with various MCs : Badness, Daddy Freddy, Devilman, Irah, Jamalski, Killa P & Rider Shafique, if you're into UK hip-hop it's likely you've heard some of them already...). Their music is a kind of US hip-hop meets UK hip-hop with the production rooted in boom-bap, evoking the Wu-Tang, Mobb Deep and even Gravediggaz in its grimiest moments, while the vocals are ragga style (and excellent!). Highly recommended stuff!

 

The BC page.