Evilyn -Mondestrunken

I’ll give something to Evilyn—it has a cool band name. One that won’t make you suspect the ridiculous beatdown it can deliver. And what if I told you this is a “debut”? Could you believe a new band would compete in a year plagued with great Tech Death releases? Except Mondestrunken wasn’t written by amateurs. It features former members from Defeated Sanity, Psycroptic, and many others, which actually gives Evilyn the feeling of being a discreet superband. Cute, but Tech Death lives and dies by how exciting it is. Can this album stand out? We’ll see!

Monument of Misanthropy – Vile Postmortem Irrumatio

I’m usually honest with you, unless there’s some kind of profit behind lying to you. Otherwise, I always share my expectations. So, when I received the promo for Monument of Misanthropy‘s Vile Postmortem Irrumatio, I felt doubtful. Why? Because a Brutal Death Metal band singing about serial killers, psychological deviance, and grotesque violence is probably why the sub-genre was invented. However, I was puzzled by the fact that the band had cared to build a narrative in this album and that Transcending supported it, as they don’t support trash. So, let’s see if I was wrong!

Cosmic Jaguar – El Era del Jaguar

An album like this usually goes straight to the True Kvlt section. It came late, with no promo and little clout (plus the title is missing an accent mark in Él, that’s how pedantic we can be at MER). However, I was also puzzled by how strange all its elements were. We’re talking about a Tech Death mixed with Aztec Folk Metal band, from Ukraine, with lyrics in English and Spanish. It can’t get weirder than this. I had to listen to it to believe it. Could Cosmic Jaguar‘s El Era del Jaguar join our small group of year-end deep underground revelations?

Carnophage -Matter of a Darker Nature

Brutal and Technical Death Metal—those words should excite me, but in reality, we drown in promos claiming to be more savage than the last. So, when the “legendary” Carnophage dropped Matter of a Darker Nature, I thought, “Oh wow! That’s a cool cover art,” and that was that. However, I found the time to put my prejudices aside (as all of you should in life) and decided to give this dreadful creature a chance to smash me to pieces. Yay!

Wormed – Omegon

It’s been a long time since we heard anything from Wormed. So long, in fact, that I was beginning to assume its members had all died and their bodies were thrown in a ditch. You can imagine my joy when I found out that not only was Wormed alive, but it was also dropping a new album: Omegon. Here, we return to the origins of MER, space Metal! However, Wormed has always done its own relentless and unapologetic thing. Can this new album top a short but consistent discography? Keep reading, astronaut.

Unhallowed Deliverance – Of Sepctres and Strife

One of our underpaid interns told me that we had received an independent promo worth my full attention. Of course, I told them they were out of their minds and proceeded to cut them off without mercy because the Catto runs this site like the colonial powers used to run Africa—with a complete disregard for human decency. Either way, I gave Unhallowed Deliverance‘s Of Spectres and Strife a chance because the cover art looked legit (in Metal, always judge an album by its art). So, was it worth my time?

Swelling Repulsion – Fatally Misguided

Transcending Obscurity has become the label for Tech Death. In whatever shape you like it, they probably have a band that can play as technical, as fast, or as disgusting as you need it. Enter Swelling Repulsion (nice name, by the way), an act that has a difficult task: to stand out in a year full of impressive Tech Death (see The Last of Lucy’s Godform or Replicant). In its newest effort, Fatally Misguided (just like you making career choices), the band is attempting to show that it has a different proposal for you, but is it even possible to get out of the comfort zone? Notice that Tech Death relax time is still the most stressful moment in the lives of 90% of musicians.

The Last of Lucy – Godform

You’ve lost count of your therapy sessions. Nothing seems to ease your anger issues. You’re on the brink of snapping at that coworker who cracks fart jokes all day. Well, let me tell you, I might not have any constructive solutions for you, but maybe The Last of Lucy does. This band has been delivering potent doses of compressed violence for years now. Moksha was definitely a step in the right direction, but does Godform continue this brutal onslaught?