Kep Reviews

2021

Album Review: Unflesh – “Inhumation” 7/10 (Death Metal)

March 24, 2021 Kep

A while back, in his review for the new Orecus album, John Angel asked “How do you like your death metal?” It’s a good question, and so, with a tip of the hat to John, today I’d like to ask you the same. What is your death metal flavor of choice? Do you like it technical, precise as hell and complex? Maybe you prefer it on the melodic side, with soaring guitar lines and a touch of power metal flair. Or do you want it blackened, icy with just the right amount of evil filth? […]

2021

Album Review: Violblast – “Lazarus Abandoned” 8/10 (Thrash Metal)

March 19, 2021 Kep

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t *dislike* thrash. I just don’t, like, like it. It’s never done much for me. Maybe that’s because I got into metal later than lots of metalheads; by the time I was diving in, instead of being introduced by bands like Metallica and Anthrax and Testament, I was checking out Meshuggah and Fear Factory and Arch Enemy. My gateways were bands with thrash influences, sure, but definitely not thrash bands.  […]

2021

Album Review: Feculent – “The Grotesque Arena” 8/10 (Death Metal)

March 10, 2021 Kep

Releasing on March 19, The Grotesque Arena is the debut album from Brisbane’s own Feculent, one of a number of fantastic bands to come recently out of Australia. This could almost be called a supergroup, if that term meant anything these days, as it features a whole slew of great musicians that you might know from other bands: Matthew Budge of Resin Tomb, Siberian Hell Sounds, and Consumed on vocals, Kaleb Doherty of thrashers Idle Ruin on guitar, Jim Dandy of Descent on bass, and master-of-all-trades Brendan Auld on drums. Auld is the mastermind behind grimy one-man project Snorlax, which put one of 2020’s most underrated death metal records, as well as a member of Resin Tomb, Siberian Hell Sounds, Consumed, and Necroseptic. He also does the production and mixing here for Feculent. Needless to say, this lineup is stacked, and boy does the music reflect that. […]

2021

Album Review: Bonecarver – “Evil” 7/10 (Death Metal)

March 3, 2021 Kep

Here’s a question for you, and I think I might have a decent idea of the answer: do you like your metal as heavy as literally all fucking hell? Sure, sometimes you need bands like Eneferens or svrm or Spirit Adrift, whose takes on metal could be reasonably described as beautiful, or even moving. But do you also crave some thick, chuggy brutality? Do you want vocals that roar and squeal, and breakdowns that could level entire city blocks? If you do, it’s time to get excited for the newest slamtastic release from Unique Leader, Bonecarver’s Evil. […]

2021

Album Review: Profond Barathre – “Tinnitus” 8.5/10 (Post Black)

February 23, 2021 Melinda (Carcassbomb)

Every now and then you come across a description or promo for an album that’s new to you and once you’ve read it, you just *have* to listen. Something about that description pulls you in before you’ve even heard a note, and despite not truly having any idea what you’re in for, you just know on some level that it’s going to be right up your alley. In my experience, at least, that internal sense is rarely wrong, and the first listen is usually an extremely gratifying one. […]

2021

Album Review: Ad Nauseam – “Imperative Imperceptible Impulse” 10/10 (Black/Death)

February 17, 2021 Kep

When we think of the term “avant-garde”, what does that bring to mind? On a definition level, we might think of the ideas of pushing boundaries or rejecting traditional concepts. On a musical level, we usually associate the avant-garde with dissonance and atonality, complex polyrhythms, and envelope-pushing experimentation. We metalheads probably think of Gorguts, or maybe Ulcerate, perhaps Blut aus Nord, or Dodecahedron. Well, get ready folks, because if you didn’t think of Ad Nauseam when you thought of avant-garde, after you listen to Imperative Imperceptible Impulse, you might think of them before anyone else. […]