OVERTOUN ~ Death Drive Anthropology (2026)

 

Overtoun /  Time To Kill Records

"DEATH DRIVE ANTHROPOLOGY is the third full-length strike from Chilean/American death-thrash force OVERTOUN. Channeling the death drive (Thanatos) into a furious soundtrack of human rituals, the album unfolds as a Book of Death, exploring how cultures confront mortality, violence, collapse, and the transformative power of art.

Fused with Chilean rhythms, folk-inspired guitars, and memorable riffs, it features guest appearances by MAX PHELPS (CYNIC, DEATH TO ALL), ENRICO H. DI LORENZO (HIDEOUS DIVINITY), and SHANTANU VYAS (HAZING OVER). With virtuosic musicianship and a raw, organic sound that recalls the primal spirit of classic metal, Overtoun channels both precision and rage. Produced by renowned Argentinian producer MARTÍN FURIA (DESTRUCTION, BARK) and released via Time To Kill Records, Overtoun asserts itself as one of the most exciting and promising Latin American Metal acts today."

Anointing The Sick Metal Blog Album Of  The Week

Scathing, murderous thrashing death plugged straight into the motherlode of extreme metal riffing. Hints of progressive technicality fail to dull the ferocity of 'Death Drive Anthropology' nor dampen the  groovy breakdowns that are abundant throughout the album. 

'Death Drive Anthropology' is an extremely clever mutation of the death/thrash genre. Melodious yet crunchy as hell and unusually for a thrash album, enthralls throughout.

PRONOSTIC ~ Chaotic Upheaval (2023)

Highly complex, technical Canadian death metal and that description just scratches the surface because this quality album reaches for the throat in all directions. I normally try to make my reviews short, almost 'blurb' like, but there's so much going on in Chaotic Upheaval that its going to be an impossible task, but here goes anyway. 

There are many forms of death metal and the Cannibal Corpse strain this is not, but fear not because Pronostic takes brutality, chops it up, dices and slices it then puts it back together into a pummelling extreme metal jigsaw, the top notch production enabling the listener absorb the various components that make this album sound exceptional. There are so many facets of  Chaotic Upheaval that would normally turn the Neanderthal in me away. I don't normally listen to symphonic death metal, keyboards in death metal switch me off especially classical piano and don't mention saxophone in any metal album unless its Hawkwind's 'Space Ritual' but I found myself enthralled by how Pronostic managed to combine all of these elements, propelled by a Gojira like mood of savage aggression, without the album falling apart into complete chaos.

Give yourself plenty of time to fully appreciate the musicianship that has gone into this album, then go listen to it again and again in order to appreciate it even more each time.

SLAUGHTER THE GIANT ~ Depravity (2022)

The album is called Depravity and contains various levels of it throughout, from pummelling technical influenced brutality to passages of operatic grandiose clouded by raging black metal sin. I haven't heard a band managing to marry both negative and positive emotion within the same album as successfully as Slaughter The Giant for a long time, maybe The Black Dahlia Murder influences helped. The tracks aren't overly long but because of their complexity they seem a lot longer, however, the really clever thing is how the band manages to keep the album flowing seamlessly despite the chaotic extremity.

For fans of: The Black Dahlia Murder, At The Gates, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Obscura

XENOSIS ~ Paralleled Existence (2021)

Paralleled Existence is the 4th album from Connecticut deathsters Xenosis and continues the tech death evolution of Devour and Birth ( 2018). Staccato riffs scuttle among frenzied passages of hugely complex yet intense song structures, often morphing into punishing brutality before being torn apart again and again.

So much is going on in this album. I've listened several times and I'm still coming to grips with how Xenosis has managed to combine technical death metal wizardry with mind expanding progressiveness and yet somehow keep those hooks leaden as bent and twisted as they sound. There are eight tracks on Paralleled Existence, each one sounding only vaguely familiar from the last, all eight a nexus of death metal styles creating an atmosphere of delirious mania from which there is no escape from the turmoil. 

Paralleled Existence is Xenosis' musical version of 'Alice Through The Looking Glass,' a warped, illogical nightmare. 

Deathrattle Podcast recommends Paralleled Existence ~ Highly technical, progressive death that doesn't detract from the overall brutality of the album.