Suffering so you don't have to!
Metalcatto
Another Willowtip album? Are we getting bribed? Unfortunately, that’s not the case yet. We just think that when a Brutal and Tech Death Metal band like Vulgar Mephitis drops an album named From Dust, we need to pay a lot of attention. This hasn’t been the best year for ultra-extreme bands so far, but not all hope is lost. We can still hope to get our faces properly melted again. Yay.
Thechopstickdrummer
Israeli Ethno-Prog ensemble SUBMASQ (previously Subterranean Masquerade) joins the slew of masked bands. We’ve all come across S***p T***n, Korn, and Ghost, but have any of them donned the intriguing creation that vocalist Vivi Dolev wears on the album art (Yalon Schori, Shay Darvish)? I figured as much. For their debut on Willowtip Records, SUBMASQ taps deeper into their traditional and progressive minds to bring forth Spirit Animal, their fifth full-length record. Fit with a diverse instrumental session crew and a regained sense of imagination (the band released a short EP this February with a contemptible AI-generated cover), SUBMASQ is already impressing cranky ol’ me. Can they keep it up?
Metalcatto
I was under the assumption that Sallow Moth was a Prog-Death band, so when I dove into Hydrophilous Brood, I paid no attention to that album title. That clearly says this thing eats children for breakfast and puppies for lunch. However, it wasn’t exactly easy to categorize. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to try today. I’ll say one thing: you can feel the ambition this band has even before you click play. But enough talking. Let’s start.
Metalcatto
Brazil is known for its Death and Power Metal, but how much for its Post-Metal? Granted, this is more of a Prog and Post mix, but Loneshore is only two albums into its career and already getting signed by big labels. That’s why Nothing Left to Deconstruct inspires a certain confidence in me. It feels as if all the parts here are too big to fail, but I’ve also seen bands with as much potential crash and burn faster than a kite in a rainstorm. Optimism has never been my strong suit.
Metalcatto
If you’ve been following MER for a while, you might suspect that Willowtip Records has bribed us into submission. But first, no Metal label has that kind of money, and second, they just make good records. What can we do? So, yes, I expect Cognizance to hit harder than a tomahawk missile—oh, too soon? Anyway, In Light and No Shape is supposed to knock us out on our buttholes. Let’s see.
Metalcatto
I don’t know what Willowtip Records is cooking most of the time, but somehow they keep delivering. So when Eximperitus – Meritoriousness of Equanimity (what does that even mean?) landed in my mailbox, for once I actually had expectations. I knew next to nothing about the band, and judging by the lack of noise around them, this still feels like a fresh act in an already hostile scene. Fearing I might be getting ahead of myself, I dove into uncharted territory hoping to find gold—like a proper colonialist—but enough context, let’s start the plunder.
Metalcatto
I was there when An Abstract Illusion released Illuminate the Path and blew me away. Little did I know the band could reach even greater heights with Woe. Ever since Opeth traded Progressive Death Metal for Dadcore, Sweden hasn’t had a band to carry that torch. Meanwhile, scenes in Australia, Norway, and Germany have been thriving, building names of their own. But it was about time someone from the land of meatballs and cinnamon buns responded with authority. The Sleeping City could be that answer. The catch? The band is stepping into an almost impossible challenge. I mean, Woe was the Prog album of 2022, right? Let’s go.
Metalcatto
Look at that cover art! Doesn’t it give you a Freudian whiplash? Or remind you of better times? (Before you were born! Those were the days.) Putridity is a Brutal Death Metal/Grindcore band, but you probably figured that out from the album’s colorful title: Morbid Ataraxia. You know this stuff is heavy when you have to check the dictionary to understand just how vile and repulsive the title is. But was it any good? Let’s find out.
Metalcatto
Whether we like it or not, 2025 has become the year of Blackened Death Metal. Sure, Behemoth dropped something, but we’ve also had heavyweights such as Dormant Ordeal and Decline of the I raising the bar. Now Patristic storms in with Catechesis, looking ready to join this fiercely competitive field. Dramatic cover art, unsettling religious track names, an ambitious scope, and Willowtip Records backing it—on paper, everything points to a real show‑stopper. The flip side is that my expectations shoot to a surreal level, which could set the stage for disappointment.
Metalcatto
It’s been a while since we reviewed something darker than your credit score. Dormant Ordeal has already been flirting with glory before. The band isn’t just some other pointless, bashingly heavy act. If anything, it reminds what Behemoth would sound like if it truly embraced Black Metal and stopped the edginess. Hence, Tooth and Nail comes with the difficult task of putting the band where it should be, the top of the Metalsphere. Let’s see if the music fits the art quality.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 