Alright here's the deal. There's a shitload of this stuff, and just like Dodens is obsessed with the old-school DM stuff, I am obsessed (sorta) with underground brutal death metal, NYDM and slam/TXDM stuff. This is not limited to Devourment worship, but can also be related to Suffocation or Deeds Of Flesh also (the three dominant styles, it seems like; also known as TXDM, NYDM, and CADM, respectively).
I'll start with a few of the more epic modern bands. These guys know how to pen memorable songs, but also can appeal to the uber-brutalhead in anyone and everyone.
First up is
Septycal Gorge from Italy. These guys impressed me big time with their debut from last year,
Growing Seeds Of Decay, out on the unknown-to-me Mutilated Records. Despite the lack of real information or reference points I could initially draw, this band totally got me going with their unique, punishing brand of NYDM and CADM (they show definite influence from both coasts from their breakdowns to their fast, subtly epic riff structures). I am definitely looking forward to more stuff like them, and I hope they get better US distribution soon!
Next we have
Goretrade from Colombia. Similar to other Colombian BDM bands, they have a solid backbone of chugging riffs combined with a knack for interesting, semi-progressive themes and structures. One second you could be hearing an utterly ridiculous breakdown and the next you could be hearing a riff picked straight from an old-school death band or a harmonic part that just works perfectly with the current track's sound. Great stuff here; you can hear the maturity they developed between 2003's
Ritual Of Flesh and last year's
Perception Of Hate big time. ROF features a rawer production, while POH expands on that by adding in a sense of the epic (a common theme for me; I'm big into BDM bands who reach BEYOND the generic trappings of the genre) along with punishing slow sections.
3rd and finally (for now), we have Greece's
Inveracity. These guys' first album is fucking STRAIGHT UP Suffo-worship. I'm totally talking tried and true
Effigy-channeling, Mullen-spewing, guttural, technical brutality of the highest order. However, something interesting definitely happened here. You all probably know Kronos by now; the melodic death metal band for the ages, but apparently the 4 guys in this band have been studying their Kronosisms too, because the new one,
Extermination Of Millions is FULL of references to our favorite Greek-mythology-based French DM band. But this isn't a mere ripoff (like some people think the first CD by these guys,
Circle Of Perversion, is of Suffocation's early works)...nah, not at all. First off, I'm pretty sure I haven't heard a solo. And there aren't that many bass solos or interesting sections like solo vocal moments, etc. But, this is an excellent, competent, mature direction for Inveracity, and I hope they expand upon it.
Coming soon, a trio of heavy BDM bands with fuckin' attitude:
Hour Of Penance
Vomit The Soul
Epicedium
