SLUDGECAMP #2: A deep dive into the newest black/death metal releases on Bandcamp w/c 22/6/2018 & 29/6/2018

By: Daniel Jackson

Necrophobic (2018)

Welcome back for another round of “Sludgecamp”! This batch is a mix of the raw and primitive, the sharp and precise, the tried-and-true and the fresh and new. Hope you find something you can sink your teeth into!

Released the w/c  22/6/2018 & 29/6/2018:

1). Eskhaton,‘Omegalitheos’

   
Fucking hell! It’s hard not to get hyperbolic about something like this. ‘Omegalitheos’is powerful, vicious, and chaotic in a way that your garden variety Blasphemy worshippers can’t really compete with. It’s a destructive force of nature in musical form. Call it death metal, call it war metal, but whatever your descriptor of choice: you need to hear this.

2). Arthedain, “Infernal Cadence of the Desolate”

   
Some really strong black metal here, alternately melodic and dark. This sound relies more on doing a tried and true sound really well rather than reinventing the wheel. Fans of that Dissection/Naglfar/Necrophobic style will so well to check this out!

3). Archemoron, ‘Year of the Harvester’

   
Highly technical and super-tight, Archemoron has riffs for ages, and should appeal immediately to anyone into ‘Armada’era Keep Of Kalessin, although this is engaging and interesting in a way that KoK hasn’t been in years. Some truly fantastic guitar work here, but everybody is an absolute maniac on this album.

4). Ancestor,‘Age of Overload’

     

Some super fun German-style thrash coming out of China! Nothing that reinvents the wheel, but this an excellent execution of a well-worn style. Anyone with a love for early Kreator or Sodom should be all over this!

Newly available through Bandcamp:

5). Necrophobic, “Remastered Classics!”

   
Hammerheart Recordsis putting out remastered version of Necrophobic’s  first 4 classics, ‘Nocturnal Silence’, ‘Darkside’, ‘The Third Antichrist’ and ‘Bloodhymns’ on vinyl and cassette! The “Darkside” remaster in particular sounds much beefier than before. Well worth a look if your physical collection is missing one or all of these albums!

Pre-orders:

6). Twilight Fauna, ‘Where Birds Sing My Name’

 
Harsh, atmospheric and deeply intertwined with his beloved Appalachian home region, Paul Ravenwood’s Twilight Fauna is always a fully immersive experience. Ravenwood’s own words on the album:

“This is an album about family, my home, and the things I love about this often painful existence. It’s about rebuilding your life after tragedy and finding a small piece of contentment in a chaotic world.”

7). Mortuary Drape, “Necromantic Doom Returns”

   
This new compilation combining the band’s “Necromancy” demo from 1987 and ‘Doom Return’ demo from 1989 are an excellent way to experience this legendary band’s formative stage. The sound is ugly and unforgiving, but absolutely capture the grim brutality of its time.

8). Hadal Maw, ‘Charlatan’

Some absolutely gargantuan progressive death metal here. The riffs coming out of the preview track, “Idolatry” come at you fast, with depth and complexity to spare. I have to imagine we’re going to be hearing A LOT about these Australians as we get closer to release date.

Band info: Lava Dome || Arthedain|| Archemoron|| Ancestor|| Necrophobic || Twilight Fauna || Mortuary Drape|| Hadal Maw