dimmu borgir - abrahadabra

wasn't much into this dimmu album upon time of release. back then i started to collect vinyl and was rather chasing copies of 'puritanical euphoric misanthropia' and 'death cult armageddon' on 2nd hand platforms.

when 'abrahadabra' became a thing for me, first press copies were long gone and a re-press of small quantity passed me by as well. not this time around. originally released by nuclear blast in 2010. re-issue on green vinyl by metalville. 2024.

blood incantation - absolute elsewhere

i had the vinyl of the new bi record standing in a pile in front of my turntable for quite a while. the overall hype surrounding the band put me off a little.

meanwhile i spun it a handful of times and have to admit that the hype is not undeserved. strong effort of these guys, which sees a new expansion of their unique sound. 700 copies on clear w/ purple splatter vinyl. century media. 2024.

artificial brain - labyrinth constellation

looooong awaited re-issue of this progressive technical death metal masterpiece. profound lore. 2014/2024.

nile - the underworld awaits us all

five years back, nile entered a new era in the band's history with 'vile nilotic rites'. Slightly altered guitar and drum sound, slightly different song writing and it all paid off imho.

fast forward to today and the nile's tenth full length emerges from the duat. it's a logical continuation of the new sound but all turned up a notch. unmistakably nile and yet fresh all the way through.

missed out on the most limited pressing but this dark green w/ yellow splatter vinyl looks really good as well. 300 copies made. napalm records. 2024.

exist - hijacking the zeitgeist

their last record "egoiista" was quite too long for my taste and tend to get a bit boring, so i wasn't really sure about the new album. for "hijacking the zeitgeist" they cut down the duration to almost the half and it worked wonders.

with an improved song-writing the tracks sound as fresh as can be. huge, catchy choruses and everything proggy inbetween. love it. prosthetic records. 2024.

year of the knife - ultimate aggression

was looking for a copy ever since i learned about the band and now i finally copped this recent re-issue. handy compilation of the band's first two e.p.'s. 1.500 copies made. pure noise records. 2019/2022.

wormed - omegon

wow. this one is really, really good. might become my favourite album of these spanish death dealers. 200 copies pressed. season of mist. 2024.

the red chord - fused together in revolving doors

trc were one of those many mathcore bands active in the late nineties and throughout the 00's. i have most of their output on cd and when the first record of theirs was announced to get the vinyl treatment, i was all over it. deathwish europe had copies of this beauty and i snagged one right away. 200 copies pressed on this lovely blue/red swirl vinyl. first released in 2002 by robotic empire. vinyl re-issue through black market activities. 2024.

funeral leech - the illusion of time

i slept on this when it was initially released but through the miracles of social media, i finally got my hands on a copy. finest death doom from funeral leech that is easily on par, if not better than their predecessor 'death meditation'. carbonized records. 2024.

high on fire - cometh the storm

high on fire back in action. the lads delivered another instant hit. pummeling drums, fuzzy riffs and low-end bass lines - i couldn't have asked for more. mnrk heavy. 2024.

disillusion - back to times of splendor

this was recommended to me by an old friend of mine and though i knew the band was around, i never checked them out before. well, now i did and boy, those guys know their craft. this is a re-press of their debut from 2004. it's a fantastic mix of prog/death/alternative metal and the pressing itself sounds really good. apricot marble vinyl out of 500 copies. metal blade. 2004/2024.

contrarian - to perceive is to suffer

the final piece to my full contrarian full length collection. never got a chance on a first press and so i'm really happy about this re-issue. re-vised art and re-mastered tracks make for a splendid release. 100 copies made and self-released by the band. 2017/2024.

on broken wings - some of us may never see the world

a blast from the past. loved this band in the early 00's. this really scratches my mosh core itch. included my trusty cd in the pic. neon magenta vinyl out of 375 copies. originally released in 2003 by eulogy (u.s.) and alveran (eu) records. daze records. 2024.

knocked loose - you won't go before you're supposed to

i don't like the production sound of the album at all and the more straight forward hardcore of the preceeding records is more to my liking, BUT this still rips! revelation records hq exclusive variant on clear yellow w/ black splatter vinyl out of 500 copies. pure noise records. 2024.

bongripper - empty

these guys never seize to amaze me. massive walls of sound shall be the whole of the law. 400 copies on sea blue and grey merge vinyl. great barrier records. 2024.

judge - bringin' it down

had the discography release 'what it meant' for years and decided to get an upgrade. 2.067 copies made on clear yellow vinyl. revelation records. 1989/2022.

xibalba - aztlán

xibalba return (so do I) with this beast of an e.p. just as if they had never been gone. still one of the heaviest around. 700 copies on gold nugget vinyl. closed casket activities. 2024. (i just realised i held the b-side upside down :)

nocturnus a.d. - unicursal

this band is still going strong after all those years. 'cosmic bleed' edition out of 250 copies. profound lore. 2024.

sadus - a vision of misery

recent mov re-issue of this 90's thrash metal classic. 750 copies on gold vinyl. originally released by roadrunner records in 1992. music on vinyl. 2024.

hideous divinity - unextinct

after a few spins it's safe to say that 'unextinct' is on par with the band's back catalogue. flawlessly executed tech death all the way through. 1.200 copies made on clear yellow vinyl. century media. 2024.

ion dissonance - solace

looong overdue re-issue of this canadian dissonant tech death pearl. european version on amber w/ black smoke vinyl out of 111 copies. total dissonance worship records. 2024.

year of the knife - no love lost

this album slaps so hard. can't get enough of it. 1.050 copies made on beautiful purple/bone galaxy vinyl. pure noise. 2023.

job for a cowboy - moon healer

many moons have passed since the last jfac album but the guys didn't miss a beat. what a belter this new one is. 300 copies pressed on half white/blue with splatter vinyl. metal blade. 2024.

darkest hour - perpetual | terminal

the typical darkest hour formula works again for me. new album is rock solid! whole presentation is top notch, too. mnrk heavy. 2024.

first fragment - dasein

long sold out for quite some time with 2nd hand prices rocketing sky high, it seems that unique leader records unearthed a batch of copies somewhere. or maybe the re-pressed it with the same vinyl colours? anyway, i finally have a copy now. unique leader records. 2016.

mortiferum - preserved in torment

after i couldn't get my hands on a vinyl copy upon release and then went for a tape copy, i can finally cross that one off the list. discogs came to my rescue with this lovely piece of plastic. profound lore. 2021.

end of days - hate anthems

early european death metal/hardcore e.p. from 2003 by this short lived german band. somehow it seems people still have a soft spot for it twenty years later. i definitely have. 100 on clear red w/ black splatter vinyl. beatdown hardwear. 2023.

afterbirth - in but not of

to me not as strong as their previous two records but still a very impressive progressive death metal album all around. 200 copies on random colour vinyl. willowtip records. 2023.

hideous divinity - cobra verde

those two early hideous divinity records are pure gold. the 'cobra verde' pressing took a bit longer to get to me but here we are. unique leader records. 2014/2023.

spectral voice - sparagmos

death doom like it is supposed to be. filthy, cavernous, unrelenting. ultra clear w/ black and gold splatter housed in a glossy and sturdy stoughton tip-on jacket🤌. evil greed exclusive and limited to 200 copies. dark descent records. 2024.

tomb mold - the enduring spirit

beautiful new album by the mold. love the new more proggy direction. uber lovely presentation, too. 20 buck spin. 2023.

tomb mold - aperture of body

in the wake of their latest full length, this little gem from 2022 got the deserved vinyl treatment as well. lovely stuff. 20 buck spin. 2023.

aronious - irkalla

another prog death metal pearl in a long line of prog death metal pearls released by the artisan era. the 2nd aronious full length is quality through and through. ananaki variant out of 100 copies. 2022.

ringworm - seeing through fire

cleveland hardcore still going strong. another solid af full length by this legendary band around vocalist human furnace. 1.800 copies pressed. nuclear blast. 2023.

aethereus - leiden

the title of aethereus latest full length 'leiden' is the german word for suffering. listening to this album is the very opposite. such a great prog/tech death piece. abyss variant limited to 100 copies. the artisan era. 2022.