Ivan Tibos.

Extraterrestrial: Embodiment (also entitled as: Extraterrestrial: Embodiment: Split) is the first split release on Novodvinsk, Russia based (Gore / Brutal / Grinding) Death Metal label Lord Of The Sick Recordings. The material is extremely limited, at least the CD edition (if I’m not mistaken it’s limited to an edition of twenty copies only???), so it makes it even more attractive for the ‘true’ Death / Grind adept. Besides, it comes with a poster and a shirt indeed!

Before taking off: this is NOT a review on the (legendary) Hardcore / Punk act!

This review deals with a Death / Thrash act, which does release a nasty, short but right-in-the-face EP, appropriately called Harsh Demonstration. Indeed it is a harsh demonstration on how to make sonic ugliness attractive. For the better part the band succeeds to do so…

How many bands do you know from Kazakhstan? Personally, I know about a handful of names - just by name (and maybe I’ve heard something of them on the net or on a sampler, but nothing more than that). And to be honest, in my (limited, haha) physical collection, there’s only one name that appears: Scolopendra Cingulata. And I have to say that I do truly adore their demo Paccbet (from 2014; you can find the short review on the update of December 2^nd 2014).

Concreteweb did publish a review for the untitled Enza Negra EP, which is one of the projects that involves Jose ‘RottenCorpse’ Murcia (hey, Murcia is also the name of the city this guy lives in). The guy runs Craneal Fracture Records too, a label especially known for Noise, Power-Electronics and the likes.

Formed a decade ago, South-France’s Pestiferum did offer the audience a limited yet highly acceptable number of releases; amongst those two splits (one with mighty Fhoi Myore) and a first album in 2009, being Solstice d’Hiver. Then, un moment donné, Pestiferum signed to (also mighty) Hass Weg Productions in order to release the sophomore full length studio album, Déchus Du Fléau, coming in an edition of 1,000 copies, including a sixteen-page booklet.

Despite being formed in 1992 (!), Riga, Latvia based act Claustrum did not actually realize a proper full length. There were some CDr’s before, live and split material, but Legion Of Silence seems to be this project’s very first ‘real’ full length. But believe me if I say that is was worth waiting for!!! Legion Of Silence, consisting of thirteen beautiful hymns, gets released via the mighty Old Captain label in a digipack edition, and this limited to 300 copies.

The Polish horde Aryman was formed at the very beginning of this century, but initially it was a band without name, without an aim (besides playing Black Metal!), without any official and professional recording or release. I guess it was in 2006 when main members Nefarius and Non Serviam decided to baptise their sonic brainchild as Aryman.

Obscure Evil are a new collaboration of three young Peruvian Metal heads: bass player Suffering Soul of Sordid-fame, Naked Whipper (ex-Nexwomb / Witchfucker / Gorphyryac / Angelripper) on guitars and vocals, and former Purgatorio drummer Tzarathustra.

I recognize Pär Boström’s name from the (great) Cities Last Broadcast project (expect a review on The Humming Tapes, released via Simon Heath’s Cryo Chamber label, in a very near future). But apparently he and his twin sister, Åsa, have a mutual project going on as well, called Hymnambulae, as well as a new label, Hypnagoga Press.

Chasmbound are a young New York-based one-man army, formed in 2014 by Jun and now debuting with Sourpop via Montréal-based Deathbound Records. This first album was produced by Jun and engineer Jaime Marcelo, and mastered at GAB Recordings with Garry Brents. It’s recorded with the assistance of two additional session vocalists (A. Toussi and R. Gill), and the whole album lasts for about half an hour.