30th part of short reviews.
GROG – Macabre Requiems
Year of release: 1996 / 2018 (this release)
Label: Helldprod Records
Rating: 7,4 / 10
Vinyl reissue of the debut album of the famous (I think so) Portuguese death-grind band. The original was released on CD in 1996, and has not been reprinted in any way since. The music is an excellent old brutal death metal, reminiscent of CANNIBAL CORPSE (especially “Butchered at Birth”). The putrid atmosphere is attached. The compositions in some places are simply delightful, in some places they are pretty mediocre (this happens much less often). In general, very cool album. It is strange that it wasn't re-released earlier.
SAMMAS EQUINOX – Pilgrimage / Boahjenásti
Year of release: 2019
Label: Signal Rex
Rating: 7,6 / 10
The project of BLOOD RED FOG members. Judging by their main band, these Finns are not always good at composing riffs, but they are perfect when it comes to creating the right aura.This compilation of demos confirms this: there are 6 (+ intro) tracks of old school metal on nebulous themes with authentic raw northern melodies (not to be confused with glossy Norwegian shit). Very spiritual music, albeit imperfect in compositional terms.
SPEARHEAD – Pacifism is Cowardice
Year of release: 2018
Label: Invictus Productions
Rating: 6,8 / 10
New album of the warlike group, bearing an unequivocal title. SPEARHEAD play comprehensively correct Black / Death Metal in the vein of ANGELCORPSE, PERDITION TEMPLE, and so on, but, like almost all British bands I know, they suffer from British national stiffness. It seems to me that something is stopping them from arranging real Armageddon in songs and revealing a dull sound in all its destructive beauty. And this restraint is the only reason that the album, despite a lot of merits, seems boring to me.
THE BLACK SORCERY – Wolven Degrade
Year of release: 2019
Label: Krucyator Productions
Rating: 4 / 10
The debut album of this band, released last year, I strongly liked because of it's shameless but powerful ARCHGOAT worship. Now the folk from the Internet tirelessly praises the new album, but I think that these Canadians failed miserably. “Wolven Degrade” is really a degradation, on all points. Disgusting frail sound - it's half the problem. The music, which has become indistinguishable from the faceless shitty brutal diarrhea metal from Mexico or some fucking Indonesia - that's the real problem. Vocals go in the same cesspool - speaking in once fashionable terms, it's just a stupid "pigsqueal". Complete failure.
WAN – Gammal är äldst
Year of release: 2019
Label: Carnal Records
Rating: 6,9 / 10
Very good mini-album, made by the classic canons of Scandinavian Black Metal. I usually say this with disdain, but in this case everything is really cool: an ancient evil, no attempt to imitate IMMORTAL / WATAIN / MARDUK and other rock stars, and it also seems to be recorded on 4 tracks! Perhaps, in spirit, it is closest to the early DARKTHRONE. Influences and the attitude are more or less the same. The songs texts are probably a bit too hooliganish, but it's OK. A true power of Old!
English (UK) 
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