THE BLIND PHILOSOPHER

 

I'm gonna say it now and get it out of the way, this will be my AOTY. I can't imagine anything else coming out this year that will have the impact on me that this album did. This album is a perfect mixture of death metal, sludge, and atmosphere. It just hits so hard. Back in 2020 I posted a top 50 all time albums list, if this would have been out then it would have been on there. The closest thing i can think of that hits me like this album is the Absent In Body album from a few years ago (which would be on that list also if it had been out). Due to Scott Kelly being exposed as the shitstick he is, we may never get another AIB. If The Blind Philosopher is as close as I ever get to the feeling that AIB left me with, I'm OK with that. They fill that void perfectly.

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Eternal Wound - Inextinguishable Hate

Instagram - Bandcamp - Spotify

More local goodness for me. Eternal Wound out of Lexington, Kentucky play crushing metallic hardcore with death metal and black metal influences. Their side of the Inextinguishable Hate split released Draped In Black on September 19, 2025 has two tracks - "Taste Of Hate" and "Non Deus Meus" - delivering raw HM2-style brutality. The band channels extreme metal aggression into a hardcore framework, blending blast beats, dissonant riffing, and guttural vocals. The band previously released Paradise Lost in June 2024 and a demo in January 2023. Good shit.

FFO: RACETRAITOR, Nails, Gatecreeper, Full of Hell

SKALLAR - 2026 EP

SKALLAR from Baltimore play raw d-beat crust punk. Their 2026 EP dropped February 27, 2026 with five tracks of furious, metallic aggression. Grinding riffs, relentless d-beat drums, and politically charged fury - this is crust punk/metal done right. Cover art by Jamie Rosier sets the bleak tone perfectly. Fast, filthy, and uncompromising from start to finish.

Bandcamp - Spotify

FFO:  KRUELTY, Röntgen, Discharge 

DISPOSAL - OFFICER DOWN

Even if this song sucked (which it most definitely does not), I would have posted this for the cover alone. In other news, everything is fucked. Good luck out there.

Facebook - Bandcamp - Spotify

VerminKing - Inhumane Disruption

Instagram - Facebook - Bandcamp - Spotify

VerminKing out of Bielsko-Biała play Swedish death metal with that classic buzzsaw guitar tone. Formed in 2023 from musicians in the local metal-punk scene, they recorded their full-length LP in early 2025. The album pulls straight from the Stockholm playbook—raw, grinding, and built for heads banging and mosh pits exploding rather than technical showboating. Pure worship of the Entombed/Dismember sound, complete with D-beat hardcore energy underneath all that distortion.

FFO: Entombed,  Entrails, Horrid

No Shelter. - Remission/Resolve

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No Shelter. is another band that I missed last year. This record is fucking great. Oozing with Swedish Death Metal vibes complete with the buzzsaw guitar via Boss HM-2 pedals. There's even an Entombed cover. Perfection. Oh and they are German. Chef's kiss.

FFO: Trap Them, Nails, Trash Talk, Entombed  

Painfield - Piracy

San Francisco’s Painfield has emerged as a powerhouse in the Bay Area underground, delivering a sound that feels like a high-speed collision between heavy groove and modern metallic hardcore. Their latest drop, Piracy, is a relentless, no-frills assault that trades polished production for a gritty, basement-show authenticity. The record is driven by thick, low-tuned riffs and a percussive battery that feels designed to rattle the walls of a dive bar. With a vocal delivery that is both snarling and rhythmic, Piracy captures a specific brand of Northern California urban tension—raw, unpolished, and fiercely independent.

FFO:  Jesus Piece, Shattered Realm, Gouge Away, Punch

PLAGUE PIT - A Whispered Curse

 

Instagram - Spotify

Hailing from the darkest corners of the UK, PLAGUE PIT is here to deliver a devastating dose of old-school death metal with a modern, guttural punch. Prepare to be crushed. PLAGUE PIT doesn't reinvent the wheel; they perfect the art of pulverization. Their sound is a relentless barrage of searing, buzzsaw riffs, thunderous blast beats, and vocals that sound like they're ripped from the deepest abyss. Think classic Swedish death metal fury infused with a grim, distinctly British sensibility.

FFO: Entombed, Dismember, Grave & Black Breath 

Verrat - Das Credo der Angst

 

Instagram - Facebook - Spotify

Verrat is a hardcore punk and crust band from Vienna, formed in 2018, that blends D-beat, metal, and personal/political lyrics. If you are interested, Verrat means "betrayal" in German.

Necrospore - Self Titled

 

FROM: Saint Petersburg, Russia

GENRE: Grindcore, Death Metal, Hardcore

RELEASED: February 12, 2025

No Mourning - ENDLESS CONFLICT/UNSEEN CONSEQUENCES

FROM: CaliforniaGENRE: Death MetalRELEASED: January 19, 2024

ADVOCATE

not even sure if these these guys are still around but i came across this due to the new violent life violent death on innerstrength records. its heavy as hell and a fucking nasty guitar tone. 

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innerstrength records

Bleeding Maw - Endless Punctures (2023)

 

METALCORE / DEATH METAL / HARDCORE

V/A - Into Everlasting Spew 2 (2023)

Ancst - Slaves To The Void (2023) [Live]

BLACKENED CRUST / METALLIC HARDCORE / BLACK METAL

Scent Of Death - Life Is Such Agony (2022)

END TIMES

 

first of all, i could have swore i posted these guys before but i guess not. second, i love the artwork for this album. so much happening and you don't notice it all right away. kind of reminds me of old sepultura or slayer album covers. the more you stare, the more you notice. kind of like the music on display here. a bit of thrash. a bit of hardcore. a bit of death metal. a bit of melody. a bit of crossover. all fanfuckingtastic. not sure how active these guys are. this came out in 2013. there was a promo from a 2019 but nothing since. 

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SINNER

blah blah trap them blah blah blah entombed blah HM-2 blah blah wolf king blah blah hardcore blah death metal/hardore blah blah why does ED-209 sound like a pig when it falls down the stairs? blah blah blah canada blah blah bitches leave

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KAABALH

just found this a few days ago and i've listened repeatedly since. some slow and low death/doom metal. goddamn this is good. really fucking good. definite incantation influence but with less murk. i love this album. 

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(U.S.) Succumb-XXI LP (2021)

Country: USA
Genre: Black Metal, Death Metal, Grindcore
Label: The Flenser
Tracks: 8
Length: 33.10'

Succumb is a three piece band from San Francisco, California who formed in 2016, from the looks of things.  Succumb play a vicious and brutal as fuck style of music that incorporates elements of black metal, death metal, and grindcore within their sound.  Musically, Succumb can be loosely compared to bands such as Nooserot, Abstracter, Of Feather And Bone, Cloud Rat, and other like-minded bands.  Since forming in 2016, Succumb have released a self-titled seven song LP in May of 2017.  XXI is the band's second full-length LP, which was released via The Flenser on September 24th, 2021.  On XXI, Succumb offer up eight tracks of vicious, raw, and brutal as fuck sounding black metal, death metal, and grindcore.  Overall, XXI makes for an awesome listen and definitely should not be missed.  Highly recommended!  Enjoy! 

Succumb on Bandcamp

The Flenser on Bandcamp

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