Ophidian Coil – Denial | Will | Becoming [2015; Obscure Abhorrence Productions]

On their first full EP, the Serbian band of Ophidian Coil turns out four tracks (plus an intro) of blackened death metal, with firm guitar chords trading off with tremolo shredding, while the drums (which seem oddly low in the mix) beat down hard and steady. The requisite growling is performed with respectable energy, verging on gargling at some points, but in spite of the earnest aggression put into it, the EP’s few distinctive moments come when the band ditches the vocals to drop into instrumental mode, where they show much more control over the songs’ energies, along with a real knack for making the guitar emote (check “Hymns of Deflesh” for good examples). It’s a rough effort, but one which shows the group building from a solid base.

Heathen Beast – The Carnage of Godhra [2015; self-released]

Opening with a fairly lengthy spoken-word sample in Hindi, the title track of this three-song EP moves from there to grinding death metal in short order, with the band making use of instruments beyond the guitar/bass/drums staples of the genre to implement some unusual but effective flavoring. “Ab Ki Baar, Atyachar” also opens with a spoken sample, before the band ramps into even faster and harder metal, keeping the death metal influence audible, but leaning much further into black metal stylings. The drums, played at blistering speed, are the stand-out for this track, though the other musicians up their game as well.

Lastly, “Gaurav Yatra (The Aftermath)” follows the opening sample pattern, though this time with a child speaking, then turns to a more restrained death metal form, establishing the lead melody firmly before the gnashing vocals arrive. The longest of the three tracks (if only by an extra second), it keeps the riffs flowing from one hook to another with fluid consistency, and finds its finish with impressive shaping. Strong throughout, and a good jumping-in point for those new to the band.

Suncross – Cailleach Storming at the Gates [2016; self-released]

In this one-track single, the most recent from the two-piece Canadian black death metal group of Suncross, the band infuses a bit of folk by way of a flute intro before jumping into the hammering drum-beats, twining guitar riffs, and snarling vocals. The hooks are deployed well, with the guitar’s tones standing out clear and loud, and the six minutes or so of run-time gives the band room to play around with variations on the main theme, while also being compact enough to avoid wandering too far, and it wraps with a firm finish drawn naturally from the rest. A solid song, and hopefully not the last to come from the group.

Cult of Lilith – Arkanum [2016; self-released]

On Cult of Lilith’s first (and so far only) release, the Icelandic group provides five tracks of hard-edged death metal, with blackened vocals and fast-moving drums. Some nice use of keyboards on the bridges sticks out as the most creative part of the music (along with a nice shifty riff on “Tomb of Sa’ir”), but otherwise it’s pretty stock stuff. A nice demonstration of technical skill, but outside of that and a sample from Legend, nothing too interesting.