Sick Sinus Syndrome – Rotten to the Core (2021)

While many of their riffs are clearly inspired by the early years of Carcass, Sick Sinus Syndrome introduce variety to this often tired formula by taking an aggressive approach comparable to Terrorizer, Repulsion, or Blood. In the grindcore tradition, most songs on this album consist of two themes juxtaposed, frequently a rising and falling action, sometimes presaged by an introduction.

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Lord of Plague – Passage to None (2024)

The first track here must be the first song the band ever composed, because it’s a bad indicator of what the bulk of material on this demo has in store for the listener. After a brief foray into a low-tech take on early Morbid Angel, Lord of Plague then launch into two pieces that bring to mind the churning music of Floridian acts such as Monstrosity, Malevolent Creation, or Resurrection.

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Laceration – I Erode (2024)

Another promising act relinquishes its potential to the roar of the crowd. Laceration released one of the more note-worthy albums of 2021 with their debut, Demise, taking the deft, speed-metal influenced rhythms of early death metal and placing them within the context of a dark ambiance reminiscent of Demigod.

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Serpent Ascending – Hyperborean Folklore (2022)

While still retaining some of the aesthetic elements of 2016’s sleeper-hit Aṇaṅku, Serpent Ascending has adopted a flowing form of riffing on this latest album comparable to some Norwegian black metal. This has both an upside and a downside, in that the longer melodies can reach a greater degree of intensity at times, but there is also less contrast within individual songs.

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