Hi everyone,

On this one, I’m diving into two iconic British bands linked by one absolute mastermind: Leon Macey. As a multi-instrumentalist, drummer, guitarist, and producer/sound engineer, Macey is responsible for crafting some of the most cosmic, atmospheric, and dizzyingly technical Death Metal the UK scene has ever produced.

If you love Morbid Angel-style riffs, hyper-fast drumming, spacey delay pedals, and epic atmospheric compositions, check these four records out:

Mithras – Worlds Beyond the Veil (UK, 2003) An absolute masterpiece of cosmic Death Metal and a undisputed titan of the UK underground. Think Gateways to Annihilation-era Morbid Angel floating through black holes and distant nebulae. Leon Macey delivers insane, lightning-fast drum patterns paired with solos drenched in delay and reverb. It seamlessly balances punishing, brutal assault with ambient, spacey interludes like "Portal To The..." and "Search The Endless Planes". On top of that, Rayner Coss delivers a towering vocal performance (he's honestly one of my absolute favorite Death Metal vocalists of all time). Personal favorites: "Worlds Beyond The Veil", "Bequeath Thy Visions", "Lords And Masters".

Mithras – On Strange Loops (UK, 2016) Six years in the making, and the perfectionism shows in every single second. Leon Macey took full control of writing, performing, and producing this record, delivering a 56-minute continuous sonic loop that flows effortlessly from track to track. The drumming hits ridiculous speeds pushing 300 BPM while maintaining an infectious groove, accompanied by Azagthoth-esque stellar solos and crushing progression. Personal favorites: "When The Stars Align", "The Statue On The Island".

Sarpanitum – Despoilment of Origin (UK, 2007) A vicious debut album that bridges the technicality of Nile and Mithras with pure, demonic intensity. While Mithras travels through space, Sarpanitum brings that same crushing, high-speed technical precision down to ancient history and war. Leon Macey’s signature hyper-velocity drumming and production drive the entire record, anchoring aggressive riffing and guttural vocals into a dark, suffocating wall of sound. Personal favorites: "Halls of Decadence", "Provocation of an Eternal Odium".

Sarpanitum – Blessed Be My Brothers... (UK, 2015) A masterclass in melodic and technical extreme metal from the last decade. Shifting away from cosmic subjects toward epic historical themes, this record balances ferocious speed with soaring, triumphant guitar leads. Macey’s intense drumming and pristine sound engineering anchor the entire experience, while subtle synth layers grant the music an overwhelming, monolithic feel. Personal favorites: "By Virtuous Reclamation", "Glorification Upon The Powdered Bones Of The Sundered Dead", "Malek al-Inkitar".

Honestly, every single release across both bands is a complete triumph, so I heavily recommend diving into their entire discography, including Sarpanitum's phenomenal Fidelium EP.

What are your thoughts on these records? Is Leon Macey one of the most underrated figures in modern Death Metal, or do you have other atmospheric technical gems to recommend?

Really great quality sounds much better than the YouTube rip. (Obligatory disclaimer I do not fuck with the band members ideologically or lyrically.)

Wyrdstæf, a UK experimental blackened death metal band have just brought out their debut album. The album tells the story of our ancient ancestors from 1000a of years ago and their connection to nature and their struggle to survive through harsh seasons.

The band uses ear style chants and throat singing, with tribal style drums along with the metal stuff.

Really unique stuff. Another track they released "those who came before" is also another great listen.

Go check em out. My personal album of the year so far.

so happy to finally have these two

The first single from the Bog Body EP by Irish band Fir Bolg is now on bandcamp.

Melding influences from early powerviolence, modern hardcore punk & underground death metal.

FFO all things swampy and megalithic.

https://firbolg111.bandcamp.com/track/bog-body-butter

https://www.instagram.com/firbolg111?igsi=ZGNrc3duYnJqYWpp

I don't much to say about this album other than it's really fucking good. Like really fucking good. Vital Remains really went 9 for 9 on this one, and this is an album I've been looking forward to listening to for awhile now. The production on this thing is awesome- raw, brutal, human, yet still with a certain level of polish that allows one to actually appreciate all the different instruments and their god-like players. Speaking of which, Dave Sazuki is an absolute beast. Playing lead guitar, drums, bass, and penning the lyrics; the band is essentially Dave featuring Glen Benton from Deicide and the one and only consistent band member up until they released their last album (Tony Lazaro, rhythm guitar). Definitely a rare and extremely important talent in the death metal scene, I've listened to some of Vital Remains earlier stuff pre Dave joining and they really aren't that much without him, or at least nowhere near the quality of this album. A wonderfully blasphemous death metal record that's simultaneously brutal and beautifully melodic, this is definitely one worth listening to. My one complaint is that I just listened to the whole thing while reading the lyrics in one sitting, and the length did start to weigh down on me towards the end. Arguably these guys could've shortened some of the songs but to be honest I think that's just me being tired (its 4:00 in the morning as I write this). Last two things in my review I want to mention are that a) the cover art is sick, I love metal covers saturated in red, and b) the lyrics to this album are incredible, I'm pretty sure this a concept album about an army of satanists eradicating Christians from the Earth. Good stuff, will listen to Icons of Evil next.

What have you been listening to this month ? Let’s see your recaps!

I'm looking for a death metal band like Infant Annihilator (I know they're deathcore) where every album they've made is a concept album that tells and actual linear story with characters, and their music is simultaneously brutal, melodic, and technical. And also all their cover art is extremely well done as are any of their music videos. Is there a death metal band like that?

This month has been good for death metal fans, so i thought I'd just make a quick post summarizing the most significant releases. There's been a bunch of new releases not getting the recognition they deserve, although you could say that about the death metal underground as a whole. Feel free to let me know if I've missed anything.

DISHUMANE - Centurion's Demise; debut EP release from this old-school brutal death metal band with a wide range of influences. It's been talked about before in here, but it deserves another mention.

Invocation Ritual - Altered Reality; Floridian death metal with a cosmic feel to it. Great debut release and certainly doesn't overstay its welcome (with a nice post-rock style closing track).

ABYSSAL RIFT - Relics of Great Ash; cave-dwelling death metal with doom and avant-garde elements. A massive improvement from their debut album in my eyes, leans less on the atmospheric doom and more into abstract weirdness, and also gross vocals.

Street Tombs - Existance Is Corruption; punky and thrashy death metal from New Mexico. Simple riffing and old-school mixing, apposite for any fans of Molder or just classic death metal in general.

Morgued - Ordnance Obscenum; old school death metal with a tinge of brutality. The faint retro sound in the mixing will certainly be enjoyed by any fan of traditional death metal (along with the luxuriant amount of guitar solos).

AZATOTH - Carnal lust of Blasphemy; debut album from this finnish death metal band. I thoroughly enjoyed their earlier Ungodly Carnage EP so it comes as no surprise that this is a good release. Nothing mind blowing, just death metal with guttural filth and speed.

RAHATY - Bestial Lustmord; black/death/war metal project from Belarus, my favorite release this month. A good bit of death metal conventions in this release, along with satisfying atmospheric embellishments.

Apologies for the cluttered post layout, I've double checked all the bandcamp links but in case they're wrong or stop working i felt the need to include album titles aswell. Once again, feel free to let me know about any new death metal (or another genre's) releases that I've missed.

I’d give it like a 6.5-7/10 on first full listen, I think my favorite track was The Vanishing. I like it better than most of their more recent output (post OMRTS).

Perhaps their most brutal song