Autopsy - Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts (2023)

Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts is the tenth album from death metal pionneers (their demo was released in 1987!) Autopsy. And its name says it all. Disgusting old school thrashy death metal with the usual doomy twists à la Autopsy. And still Chris Reifert on vocals. When death refuses to die (and t's a good thing because we want some more!). 

The BC page.

 

Dreadcore - Schematics (2019)

Schematics, by Norwegian producer Dreadcore is not exactly new, been released in 2019. Won't do for your "end of the year list", sorry, but if you enjoy nice and dark drum and bass music it will do fine. Six short tracks, ometimes more in an atmospheric synthwave vein, sometimes more nervous jungle. Good stuff.

The BC page.

 

Big Blood - First Aid Kit (2023)

Big Blood is one of the band I really should have reviewed a long time ago... But their new ambum First Aid Kit is definitely a good occasion to do it, since it's an excellent one. We could say they play a special kind of psychedelic folk/rock. But what they do is so different it seems more fitting to say they play "weird folk" or "freak folk". Not weird like some frantic and noisy free jazz, you could (almost) play it at your Christmas family gathering, and First Aid Kit is among their more melodic albums. But it's melodies that have an uncanny feel, sounding a bit like from another dimension. But I'll stop wasting my time trying to describe the undescribable. Just listen to it, and to their older stuff. You won't regret. Oh, and the two singers are mother and her thirteen years old daughter, the father playing the instruments. Isn't that nice? 

The Bandcamp page.

 

Hørdür - Bistre Repetita (2023)

Bistre Repetita is the second album from French grind trio Hørdür, five years after the first one.

This is a solid piece of poweviolence / crust-grind and if that's the kind of stuff you like it will be a good pick.

The BC page.

 

Shapednoise - Absurd Matter (2023)

Second album from Shapednoise (Berlin based Italian producer Antonino Pedone), Absurd Matter is a finely crafted piece of industrial dub / illbient. And featurings from Armand Hmmer and Moor Mother are always welcome. Interesting stuff. 

The BC page.

 

Cannibal Corpse - Chaos Horrific (2023)

Pionneers of death metal are having a great year, does death keeps alive after all? We had Suffocation, Incantation, Cryptopsy, all good albums (probably also the Autopsy one...). And now a very nice Cannibal Corpse! This time it seems they focused more on writing memorable songs, and it worked really well. And at the same time level of technicality and brutality is still very high. Is Chaos Horrific their best one since Kill or Evisceration Plague? Time will tell, but maybe...

The BC page.

Paranoid / 偏執症者 - S.C.U.M. (2023)

Contrary to what you may guess Paranoid is not a Japanese band but a Swedish one. But while they do share with some Japanese raw punk / hardcore bands the same vibrant feel of urgency and danger the roots of their music is neither Japanese nor Swedish but British, D-beat being their main influence. This 6 tracks EP called S.C.U.M. is their latest release, and a bit noisier/rawer than their latest album Cursed, with less neo-crust style melodies. In any case they keep on being consistently good at what they do.

The BC page.

Luke Sick & Wolfagram - Garshas (2023)

Garshas is the second album from the duo Luke Sick (Californian MC) and Wolfagram (producer from Toronto), and this time again the collaboration works wonder. Both are experts in their domains and the album reminds the best of old school hip-hop, in a boom-bap vein, often with a dark feel, not very far from stuff like Mobb Deep, Gravediggaz or MF Doom. Like the first album it is released by Iron Lungs recods. Real recognize real as they say...

The BC page.