A seasoned American blackened death metal group with ties to , , Void Omnia, , and , Ulthar pair uncompromising sonic brutality with Lovecraftian terror. Emerging in 2014, the California trio released their punishing debut album, Cosmovore, in 2018 on . The group found new ways to invoke horror in 2023 with the malevolent Anthronomicon and Helionomicon.

Founded in 2014 by Bay Area veterans Shelby Lermo (, ), Justin Ennis (Void Omnia, ex-, ex-), and Steve Peacock (), Ulthar, who take their name from the short story "The Cats of Ulthar," unleashed their crushing debut album, Cosmovore, on the world in 2018. Evoking the blazing, technical death metal attack of bands like and , the group quickly found favor with the extreme metal community and wasted little time getting back into the studio to begin work on their sophomore effort. The resulting Providence, which like its predecessor, sought out the darkest corners of technical death metal, was issued by and released in 2020.

A period of profound creativity spurred by the social and societal limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the release of two new studio LPs from Ulthar in 2023. Anthronomicon and Helionomicon saw the band dig deep into their black metal war chest and deliver a pair of albums that added sinister new textures and unrelenting sonic malevolence to their ever-expanding blackened death metal sound. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi

“Retrogression is a three-piece death metal band from Chicago, IL. Bassist DJ Rodriguez, drummer Geoff Ruiz, and guitarist/vocalist Craig Needles set out with the DIY spirit of old school hardcore and the goal of writing unrelentingly furious songs full of catchy riffs and everything they love about heavy metal music. While rooted in old school and modern death, they integrate the melodic riffing of punk and thrash, the crushing weight of doom, and punishing hardcore breakdowns. Their violent, socially-conscious lyrics fuel the urgency, intensity, and rage.

In 2024, they self-recorded, mixed, mastered, and released their debut 3-song demo, capturing their raw and chaotic live energy.”