A couple of DM albums worth mention, 2 of which I've included my reviews from elsewhere here.
Portal - Avow - Profound Lore, 2021 - Portal are obviously no hidden gem or up-and-comers, but I don think it's worth mentioning that their latest album, Avow, is just supremely fucking excellent. 6 songs of absolute hellish descent.
Cerebral Rot - Excretion of Mortality - 20 Buck Spin, 2021 - my favorite death metal release in a long, long time. I'd say it's an improvement on the first album in every way possible. proper review below:
I listened to Odious Descent Into Decay several times around when it was released. I liked it a lot, more than the vast majority of newer death metal albums being released but didn't pick it up until recently. I also took special notice of the shrieking, ugly guitar solos. I only heard Excretion of Mortality for the first time last month (Oct. 2022) and immediately realized I made a huge mistake sleeping on Cerebral Rot. While Odious Descent Into Decay is certainly a great first outing, Excretion of Mortality improves upon it in every way. Better riffs, better solos, better vocals, and better overall production. The opening title track is absolutely infectious, grabbing you by the back of the skull and squeezing until your brain ruptures and your eyes bleed. Everything here captures the absolute putridity of the best films by Lucio Fulci. Similar to Fulci's most disgusting works, this "low art" transcends its origin to become something wholly unique and enduring. In terms of the actual sound, I would point to Realm of Chaos and In Battle There Is No Law! by Bolt Thrower and Symphonies of Sickness by Carcass (but played at half the speed), noticeably in regard to the stampeding drums (Bolt Thrower), the purulent atmosphere (Carcass), and the absolutely wild solos (both bands). I am also reminded of Anatomia's lurching single mindedness. Arguably, there are also nods to the sound of Finnish legends like Abhorrence and Convulse. These are all things I love and Cerebral Rot's evocation of them, intentional or not, wouldn't be enough if the songs didn't stand on their own. But they do, and they stand tall, with the albums finale being the penultimate highlight; the towering colossus of muck and filth that is Crowning the Disgustulent (Breed of Repugnance). At 11 minutes it is the ultimate payoff to this descent into murky depths, utilizing repetition with tension building riffs and atmospherics until reaching its slow-motion zenith at 7:41, releasing spores of brain melting fungus as a final fuck you. I would also note, there is a lot of this call and response style guitar work between the lead and rhythm which I cannot get enough of, which again is very prominent Crowning the Disgustulent. For my taste this is a flawless album which demands immediate replays and somehow even leaves me wanting more despite its 47 minute run time. I can't wait for what they do next.
Phobophilic - Enveloping Absurdity - Prosthetic, 2022 - favorite album of last year.
I had never heard Phobophilic before seeing them live, opening for 200 Stab Wounds, Undeath and Enforced, but I was extremely impressed with their set. Touring hot on the heels of the release of this album, they sounded tight as hell, striking a balance between quality riffs, twisting songwriting and gloomy flourishes. Picked this up at the merch table immediately after. And I have to say, as good as all of the other bands sounded, Phobophilic was the surprise highlight for me.
Enveloping Absurdity is quickly rising towards the top of my favorite releases of 2022. It's an extremely well paced and well played 37 minutes of death metal, all of which feels and sounds like its part of a cohesive vision. It reminds me of 2 things primarily: Finnish death metal a la Adramelech and Convulse and Starspawn by Blood Incantation. The tinge of gloom and coffin stench and the guitar tone conjure up those Finnish influences, but the pacing, song structures and solos really remind me of Starspawn. They also do a great job of slowing things down and letting the guitars and bass shine. This is not an endless, cavernous blast fest (not that that's not enjoyable on its own terms). I think Phobophilic do a shocking good job of making each track flow into the next giving a sense of unity and flow I'd expect from a more seasoned band. I don't know that I can pick a single stand out track, but my favorite part of the album is the middle stretch from Cathedrals of Blood (Twilight of the Idols) to The Illusion of Self.
I'm not ready to say this is the absolute best album of 2022, but I think it's going to a get a lot more spins than many of the other contenders. So if you're a death metal do yourself a favor and pick this up and go see Phobophilic live!
