Excreting their malignant essence onto an unsuspecting Metal scene in 1998 with their confrontational debut full-length, “Gore Metal”, Exhumed have since become synonymous with the genre they helped brand. Their signature sound, a savage blend of snarling, grinding down-tuned guitars, alternately abrasively screeched and grotesquely gurgled vocals, and pummeling, straightforward drumming, have become universally recognized as the hallmarks of the style now called Gore Metal. Taking these elements several steps beyond their previous works, including the barbarically stripped-down, in-your-face approach of their sophomore effort, “Slaughtercult”, Exhumed have returned with their third full-length album, “Anatomy is Destiny”.

CREEPING DEATH is on a quick and furious ascent from the underground. The Texas death metal crew repeatedly delivers a relentless bludgeoning summoned from the furthest reaches of the genre's past, present, and future. A triumphant celebration of the style itself, the Lone Star State fivesome whips up gruesome riffage and Southern grooves with an improbable cathartic glee. As Revolver Magazine observed, CREEPING DEATH "assemble hulking riffs, screaming guitar solos, and ghastly vocal lows, and play them with the urgent momentum of a sterling hardcore band." The band's formula hits perfection with the brilliant Boundless Domain, a sophomore slab of spectacular weight, dimension, and might. Produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz (As I Lay Dying, The Acacia Strain, Underoath), Boundless Domain is a certified ripper, top to bottom. "We've never sounded better," guitarist Trey Pemberton shares enthusiastically. "We love the people we've recorded with before, but we've never had anybody challenge and push us as Adam did." In the wake of the passing of local heroes Riley Gale of Power Trip and Wade Allison of Iron Age, the band (Pemberton, singer Reese Alavi, bassist Eric "Rico" Mejia, drummer Lincoln Mullins, and guitarist A.J. Ross, III) found themselves digging back into some of their metallic hardcore favorites. "We made it a point to bring in more influences from hardcore bands we came up loving, especially Texas hardcore," Pemberton explains. "There's a lot of Mammoth Grinder, Iron Age, and Power Trip influence. Having Riley and Wade pass so close to one another left a huge hole in the scene. We all went on a kick of listening to the Texas stuff for a while, and it definitely seeped into our writing." Early into the band’s career, MetalSucks encouraged headbangers everywhere to "get your old school death metal fix with new school band Creeping Death." Naturally, the crushing brutality akin to Gorguts, Grave, Blood Red Throne, and similarly legendary bands remains part of their foundation. Originally hailing from Denton, Texas, and now situated in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area, CREEPING DEATH summons a vibrant sound that is somehow both familiar and fresh. Their initial outburst, 2016's three-song Sacrament of Death, introduced them to death and thrash metal audiences, followed two years later by the Specter of War EP. By the time they unleashed 2019's Wretched Illusions album, Kerrang! hailed Creeping Death as "an underground juggernaut" that "channels all the raddest aspects of metal without getting shoehorned into any clichés." 2021's The Edge of ExistenceEP further demonstrated the power, fury, and revelry at the heart of their identity. Tours with High On Fire, The Acacia Strain, Rotting Out, Terror and The Warriors spread the CREEPING DEATH message. Crowds succumbed to the group's combination of endlessly catchy riffage, precise percussion, and storytelling lyrics. Early 2023 saw Creeping Death travel overseas to the UK and Europe with Revocation and Goatwhore. A US trek supporting Carcass, Municipal Waste, and Sacred Reich is on the books. "We've freely admitted that we are a selfish band, in so much as we really only write music for us," guitarist Trey Pemberton explains. "We make music that's fun for us to play and that we like to listen to ourselves. After all, we're the ones who are going to hear these songs the most, night after night." Boundless Existence boasts future death metal classics like the super heavy, fast, and groovy "Intestinal Wrap" (which features George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of Cannibal Corpse). "Vitrified Earth" showcases Creeping Death's increasing skills at songcraft, most evident with the cadence and phrasing of Alavi's vocals while never neglecting the sick riffs. Toward the album's end, there's even a bit of a spaced-out atmosphere, with guitar effects, harmonies, and heady time signatures. "We just want to be heavy and fun," Pemberton says without apology. "You'll hear a natural progression from Wretched Illusions to Boundless Domain. Each release will be at least a little bit different from the other, but they will all still sound like CREEPING DEATH. That's who we are."  LINEUP  Reese Alavi – Vocals Trey Pemberton – Guitar J. Ross III – Guitar Eric “Rico” Mejia – Bass Lincoln Mullins – Drums SELECT DISCOGRAPHY  Boundless Domain (2023) The Edge of Existence EP (2021) Wretched Illusions (2019) Specter of War EP (2018) Sacrament of Death EP (2016)

HEAVY METAL AT THE SPEED OF SATAN

Virginia-based crossover maniacs ENFORCED open their Century Media account with their blistering new album, “Kill Grid”. Informed by an incredible cross-section of extremes—from thrash and punk to death metal and hardcore—the emergent outfit drop a nine-song cluster-bomb of thrashing death on apathetic times. Formed in Richmond in 2017 out of shreds of disbanded hardcore and punk bands, ENFORCED quickly found their calling between the undying support of regional punk/hardcore scenes and their respective record collections. Whether it’s Sacred Reich and Integrity or Bolt Thrower and Amebix, “Pure Crossover Death,” as ENFORCED call their devastating din, devastatingly speared its way through two demos (“Demo 2017” and “Retaliation”) and their no-holds-barred debut, “At the Walls”. “I would describe our sound as metal and hardcore,” says ENFORCED guitarist Will Wagstaff. “We come from punk, hardcore, and metal, all of which can be taken to the extreme—and we love everything about it. I love Iron Maiden and Morbid Angel and Poison Idea and GISM. I love anything that inspires me in either how extreme or how good the songwriting is—or both! There is a difference between ‘One’ by Metallica and ‘Jesus Wept’ by Suffocation, but they nonetheless inspire me. Our main goal is to write music that combines extreme elements from our favorite music with good songwriting.”