TEITANBLOOD: The Baneful Choir Release year: 2019Label: Norma Evangelium Diaboli There’s a whole subtype of extreme metal based on the rabid, bestial black metal of death pioneered by legendary acts such as Beherit and Blasphemy in the late 80’s and … Continue reading A baneful chaos
GRIM FATE: Perished In Torment Release year: 2020Label: Xtreem Records Heavy, lurching old school death/doom is a well that never seems to run dry. The classic sound, which seemingly forever plays second fiddle to the speedier brutal death metal of … Continue reading A grim fate to perish
PHANTASMAL: Ansaan syntyneet – Ansaan kuolleet Release year: 2019Label: self-released During the noughties, there evolved in Finland a somehow quite distinct form of extreme metal which was neither black, death nor doom, but instead a weird amalgamation of all of … Continue reading Phantasmal trappings
PROFANATION: Into Cascades Of Blood And Burning Soil Release year: 2019Label: Hostile Media I’m not really a vinyl fanatic. I’m through and through a CD guy. I like the convenience of the format. But there is one thing vinyl has … Continue reading Endless cascades of Profanation
OBSCURE: Darkness Must Prevail Release year: 2019Label: Xtreem Music Obscure from Spain certainly have a fitting name – though formed already in the late 80’s, the band have never been more than the footnote of a footnote in the annals … Continue reading Obscure’s prevailing darkness
MACABRE DEMISE: Awakening Release year: 2020Label: RTM Productions With a cover like this, it doesn’t take much to guess what’s on offer here. Naturally you’re right: death metal. Of the brutal kind. You’ll probably not be surprised when you discover … Continue reading Waking up with Macabre Demise
BLOOD AND BRUTALITY: Fatal Release year: 2020Label: Blood And Brutality Records The short and concise promo sheet wishes to pinpoint this as pure death metal by saying, and I quote, the album sounds “the way a death metal album should … Continue reading Blood and brutality splattered all over
NECROPSY: Exitus Release year: 2020Label: Xtreem Records Necropsy are one of the often overlooked chapters of Finnish death metal, one of those bands there’s a big chance you don’t know unless you’ve really done some digging into the scene. The … Continue reading Necropsy taking it slow
DYSEMBLEM: Autotomy Release year: 2019Label: III Damnation/Immortal Bytes Death metal is a rotting grave filled with worms of every kind. It’s all too easy to get lost in a particular approach to the genre and lose sight of how much … Continue reading Death sabbaths with Dysemblem
So, Only Death Is Real has witnessed the first year-end, and it is time to jot down some thoughts as summary for 2019 and a plan of action of sorts for 2020. The site was created in mid-May, and since … Continue reading A year in summation: 2019
Only Death Is Real 