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  • Eaten by Sharks – The Undertow of Hate Review

    In his review of Eaten by Sharks’s debut, Eradication, Carcharodon mollified readers about the dangers of sharks by citing statistics. However, statistics don’t erase the fact that sharks look like the stuff of nightmares—and they do sometimes eat people. Most of us prefer to experience this vicariously through film, where we learn sharks are quite versatile killers. They might surprise you while you’re skinny dipping and thrash you around a bit before dragging you underwater. Or one might burst through the floor of an underwater research facility and chomp you in half. There are also more subtle methods of death, like finding yourself stranded in the middle of the ocean when a shark bites your leg and then swims off, leaving you to slowly bleed to death. Canada’s Eaten by Sharks throw their own narrative hat in the ring on their second album, The Undertow of Hate, a dark and brutal vision of violence in the deep seas.

    The songs on The Undertow of Hate behave just like killer sharks—they’re brutal, shifty, violent, and efficient. Eaten by Sharks achieve this through a deathcore-adjacent style of death metal that straddles the line between Fit for an Autopsy and Cattle Decapitation. Down-tuned, chugging guitars and pummeling blast beats provide an atmosphere of dark violence, and the high-energy music feels like a rallying cry for sharks in a feeding frenzy. Eaten by Sharks also dip into The Black Dahlia Murder-style melodeath on the likes of the speedy and entertaining “Bodies Overboard” and “Crimson Tide.” The Undertow of Hate isn’t all pedal to the metal, though. It often pauses for slower moments, surveying the outcome of the violence with pithy observations like “Look at all the bodies” (“Bodies Overboard”). The progressive nature of the music ensures a narrative flow rather than a mere repetition of ideas.

    Eaten by Sharks have produced a masterwork of horror in terms of atmosphere and storytelling. Borrowing from horror stalwarts Fulci, they integrate atmospheric soundbites into the opening of each song. Far from being annoying or gimmicky, these touches meld naturally into the music. Opener “Vessels Torn” combines gentle guitar riffs, crying seagulls, and the straining of a ship against the waves before plunging into the violence of guitars and growls. Other tracks open with people screaming in terror, splashes of water, underwater bubbles, and even a soundbite from the original Jaws. These touches help immerse the listener in the grisly setting and add a layer of depth to the pummeling music. It all culminates in a brilliant outro, “Surfaced Remains,” which uses surprisingly lovely arpeggios and some audio tricks to give the sense of bodies rising to the surface, making for a poignant, if nihilistic, conclusion to the record.

    The musicians overcome a pretty bad mixing job to put together an album that sounds much better than it should. I think it helps that Eaten by Sharks doesn’t overwhelm with a busy mix—they take a rather simple, though effective, approach to the music. The drums from Justin Whitehead may be a touch too loud, but he lays the framework for violence with some powerful blast beats, while taking things down a notch as the narrative requires. The dual guitar work from Chris Chaperon and Dan Oko helps instill a sense of the unfolding chaos through the use of dissonant, off-kilter riffs. Yet they also incorporate some impressive shredding, technical wizardry, and memorable melodic touches, which help allay the oft-used repetitive chugging. Matt Sherriff puts together an impressively schizophrenic performance behind the mic. His convincing swap between deep throaty growls and rasping snarls gives the impression of a second vocalist. On the terrific “Treading Water,” he demonstrates a melodic storytelling capacity that’s just a blast to listen to.

    The attention to detail throughout The Undertow to Hate shows that these guys had a ton of fun with the concept. I do wish Eaten by Sharks had provided a lyrics sheet because Sherriff delivers a number of gems. When he rasps “there’s fucking bodies in the water” on “Crimson Tide,” it’s a chilling, almost gleeful, reminder of the destruction wrought. Touches like these help cover up some other flaws, especially the rather simplistic and sometimes headache-inducing loud chugging guitar/drum/growl combo. Nonetheless, this will end up as one of the year’s most memorable listening experiences. If you love brutal death metal featuring effective storytelling and plenty of wiolence, then you need to go out and get Eaten by Sharks.


    Rating: 3.5/5.0
    DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
    Label: CDN Records
    Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
    Releases Worldwide: July 17th, 2026

    The post Eaten by Sharks – The Undertow of Hate Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

  • Birmingham to honour The Prince Of Darkness with Ozzy Osbourne Day later this month, featuring musical performances, film screenings and exclusive merch

    Birmingham will celebrate its most metal son, late Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne, with a day of festivities, music and film screenings on the one-year anniversary of his death.

    On July 22, the city will host ‘Ozzy Day’ to commemorate the Prince Of Darkness, who died at his Buckinghamshire home following a heart attack aged 76, 17 days after retiring from the stage at Villa Park near his birthplace in Aston.

    According to a press release from the Birmingham City Council, the day will feature “a free programme of live music, public art, special performances and shared moments celebrating the life, legacy and Birmingham roots of the Prince Of Darkness”.

    The Bostin Brass band, who performed brass arrangements of classic Ozzy and Sabbath songs as the singer’s funeral procession passed through Birmingham on July 30 last year, will return to various locations around town to put on multiple free shows.

    One stop will be at the iconic Black Sabbath Bench on Broad Street, which features tributes the band’s four founding members: Ozzy, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.

    See the band’s full live schedule for the day below.

    Another musical performance will be put on by the City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) at the Bullring shopping centre in the centre of town at 12:15pm.

    The branch of Selfridges at the Bullring will sell an exclusive Ozzy Day t-shirt during the day. The shirt will feature a graphic of Ozzy at his retirement show, Back To The Beginning, and a list of the 52 gigs he played in his hometown, both as a solo act and with Sabbath.

    Nearby, at Birmingham New Street station, fans will be able to have free Polaroid pictures taken with the moving statue Ozzy The Bull, which was named after the Prince Of Darkness following a 2022 poll. The 10m (33ft) sculpture will be made up to resemble his namesake singer.

    In addition, local arts and events producers Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces (OPUS) will screen a number of short films about Ozzy and Ozzy Day around town. The Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero exhibition at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery will remain open and have the singer’s throne from Back To The Beginning on display.

    A free map of the city and its festivities will be available across town, including at New Street station.

    Sam Watson, Chair of co-organisers Central BID, comments: “Ozzy Day is a fantastic example of Birmingham working together to celebrate the legendary Ozzy Osbourne. By bringing together businesses, cultural organisations and public spaces, we’re creating a city centre wide experience that encourages people to celebrate the legacy of a truly global, Birmingham-born icon.”

    Councillor Deborah Harries, Cabinet Member for Culture, Birmingham City Council, adds: “Ozzy Osbourne is one of Birmingham’s foremost cultural figures, and we continue to honour his legacy here in the city, where his journey began. I am glad to see the city partners coming together to celebrate Ozzy’s influence on music and his pride in his hometown.

    “Black Sabbath’s contribution to Birmingham was recognised when they were awarded Freedom of the City on 30 June 2025. All of these anniversary events are an opportunity for residents and visitors to celebrate this legacy, while showcasing the creativity, culture and character that make Birmingham so special.”

    Widely recognised as one of the most successful rock singers of all time, Ozzy Osbourne enjoyed a lengthy recording and touring career which spanned seven decades. After his original stint in Sabbath from 1968 to ’79, he launched a solo career with 1980’s multi-Platinum-selling album Blizzard Of Ozz. He rejoined Sabbath for multiple reunions, starting in 1999.

    Between Sabbath and his solo output, Ozzy sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. He won five Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006 and became a television star following the launch of his family’s Emmy-winning reality series The Osbournes.

    Back To The Beginning was Ozzy’s first time onstage after announcing his retirement from touring in 2023, due to health issues stemming from Parkinson’s disease and a fall he suffered at home in 2018. He performed a set with his solo band and another with his fellow Sabbath co-founders, marking the first time the four men played together onstage since 2005. The all-day show was livestreamed and viewed by more than five million people worldwide.

    Ozzy Day: Bostin Brass band live schedule

    • 08:30: Birmingham New Street
    • 10:00: Outside Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
    • 11:30: Selfridges
    • 12:45: Black Sabbath Bench
    • 15:00: Martineau Place
  • Villagers Of Ioannina City Release New Song “Venceremos”

    Greek heavy rock torchbearers VILLAGERS OF IOANNINA CITY have unveiled an official music video for their monumental new single, “Venceremos,”
  • Pure Reason Revolution – Premiere New Track, Announce New Album

    Great news for fans of prog band Pure Reason Revolution as they’ve just announced a new album and premiered the first single off it, “Spin Like Fire.” The new album Terrifying Angels will be out on September 25th, 2026 via InsideOut Music. Mark your calendars and listen to the full single below.
    Read more…
  • PURE REASON REVOLUTION announce new studio album ‘Terrifying Angels’; launch first single ‘Spin Like Fire’

    PURE REASON REVOLUTION announce new studio album ‘Terrifying Angels’; launch first single ‘Spin Like Fire’

    PRR 2026.jpeg

    UK tour dates announced for November 2026 with special guests Kyros

    Photo Credit: Valentin Ottone 

    “My initial thought of an angel was the cute kind of cherub, but traditionally angels aren’t cute or comforting figures,” says Jon Courtney. “They’re often overwhelming, terrifying beings.”

    Progressive alternative rockers Pure Reason Revolution return with their new album ‘Terrifying Angels’, their fourth since reemerging in 2019. The record will be released on the 25th September 2026, and is preceded by the single ‘Spin Like Fire’, the video for which you can watch now here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx_XAc8uk0U&feature=youtu.be

    Following the somewhat gentler, moving themes of sorrow and transience guiding 2024’s ‘Coming up to Consciousness’, the new sound is dark and potent, full of savage riffs, ominous soundscapes, and thrashing, grungy layers – melded, of course, with the band’s signature transcendent harmonies. “The last record was more chill, so it just felt terribly natural to do something grittier, heavier and more aggressive,” Courtney explains.

    The core trio of Jon Courtney, Annicke Shireen & Ravi Kesavaram are joined by a cast of collaborators for the album, featuring old friends and new partners alike. The eponymous song was born out of a jam session in Portland, Oregon, with founding bandmate Greg Jong, who also co-wrote “Rumination Ruin”. Meanwhile “Haywire Heart” and “Hold Your Wrath” – respectively the shortest and longest tracks in PRR’s discography – were both written alongside Paul Mullen, the alt-rock legend who fronted Losers and Yourcodenameis:milo. Finally, “Below Radiance” grew out of a section from a composition by Courtney’s mentee Kenny Fitzgerald.

    The album also features bass contributions from Mariusz Duda (Lunatic Soul) and Kristoffer Gildenlöw, while mixing duties are once again handled by Bruce Soord of The Pineapple Thief.

    PureReasonRevolution_TerrifyingAngels.jpeg 

    The album (featuring artwork by Carl Glover), will be available as a Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold LP edition and as Digital Album. The full track-listing is below:

    1.     Spin Like Fire 03:31

    2.     Black-Arrow Acrobats 08:38

    3.     Haywire Heart 02:42

    4.     Terrifying Angels 12:26

    5.     Rumination Ruin 04:25

    6.     Below Radiance 03:34

    7.     Hold Your Wrath 14:45 

    Pre-order now here: https://purereasonrevolution.lnk.to/TerrifyingAngels-Album

    The band are also pleased to announce a UK headline tour set to take place in November 2026, with special guests Kyros. Tickets are on sale now.

    1st November – Thekla, Bristol

    2nd November – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

    3rd November – Slay, Glasgow

    4th November – The Robin, Bilston

    5th November – O2 Academy 2, Liverpool

    6th November – 229, London 

    They also have previously announced live dates in Canada and Poland scheduled:

    23rd August – Prog Storm Festival, Montreal, Canada

    18th December – 2Progi, Poznan, Poland

    19th December – Voodoo Club, Warsaw, Poland

    20th December – Hyde Park, Krakow, Poland 

    PURE REASON REVOLUTION online:

    https://www.facebook.com/purereasonrevolution

    https://www.instagram.com/purereasonrevolution_official/  

    https://twitter.com/prr_official

    https://youtube.com/@purereasonrevolutionofficial

    INSIDEOUTMUSIC online:
    http://www.insideoutmusic.com

    https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic

    https://twitter.com/InsideOutUSA

    http://www.youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV

  • 45 Years Ago: Journey Soars on ‘Escape’ After Tweaking the Lineup

    They were on the verge of something big in 1980 – but only after a period of sudden adversity. Continue reading…
  • Farmers Market 2026 – Preisliste

    Wie bereits angekündigt gibt es wieder den Farmers Market auf dem W:O:A 2026

    Im Angebot sind wieder mehrere 100 Produkte und damit ihr rechtzeitig wisst, was ihr vorab besorgen müsst und was ihr bequem vor Ort kaufen könnt (damit das Auto auch ja nicht zu voll beladen wird), haben wir nun die Farmers Market 2026 Preisliste veröffentlicht.

    Die Preisliste haben wir wieder in zwei Varianten zur Verfügung gestellt – sortiert nach Sortiment und nach Partner.

    Wie im letzten Jahr gibt es eine Getränke Preorder. Ihr bestellt online über das Eventportal unter cashless.wacken.com und holt eure Bestellung bequem vor Ort im Farmers Market ab.

    HIER GEHT ES ZUR FARMERS MARKET SEITE

    Euer
    W:O:A Team

    Der Beitrag Farmers Market 2026 – Preisliste erschien zuerst auf Live, laut, legendär!.

  • Flesh Creep – ‘GLIMMER’

    Someone, somewhere knows something. It’s not a secret, but they’re keeping it from you. They know it and you don’t. Earlier this year Music For Nations signed Flesh Creep and re-released their debut album ‘We Need You To Bleed’. It’s because they knew. Listening to new EP ‘Glimmer’ you’ll know it too.

    Despite their disgusting band name Flesh Creep aren’t a deathcore band or a grindcore outfit. Their music is based on hardcore in the vein of Sick Of It All or This Is Hell but with their mixture of breakdowns, lead guitars and spoken/yelled vocals a closer comparison is Feed The Rhino. Basically, if you like your music aggressive and slightly dangerous, you’ll love it.

    Opener, ‘Flake’ tells you exactly what to expect. Shoulder-shrugging marching, a blast of hardcore then swirls of lead guitar, it’s vicious, snarling and surprisingly droll. Every song plays in this space, but each is different.

    The band describe their music as ‘power violence’ but the songs are surprisingly melodic, not beautiful melodic, but you can feel yourself grooving to the chord changes, or at least you can until the breakdowns kick in, and they love a good breakdown, sometimes multiple breakdowns back-to-back. While this could be off-putting, they do have a trick, structure. Despite the songs repeatedly changing shape they’re also anchored, giving them a wild, barking-dog viciousness without becoming unchained. It’s that illusion of freedom which is so satisfying. This is particularly true of ‘Cheap Heat’ which goes around and around and around, clearly designed to start a circle pit while being underpinned by riffs. It’s very impressive.

    Flesh Creep write short songs. Despite doubling the length of those on their debut album, these are still short, but fleshed out and pointed. Indeed, ‘Straight Flush’ is all about momentum and its guitars sting like a swarm of bees, while the post-chorus riff on ‘Bubblegum’ swings back and forth, cutting like a saw. By comparison ‘Optics’ appears to be an outlier, slowing things down with an unsettling, slightly evil guitar part, and then tightens all the screws, making for a memorable rush of riffs and feedback. It’s choices like these that help distinguish the songs from each other and Flesh Creep from other bands.

    Tom Bienkowski’s throaty yells are varied enough to hold your attention and work incredibly well with the rugged music. Spoken passages litter the verses with a delightfully condescending tone, particularly him muttering ‘the adults are talking’ or where he cries ‘Clean up on aisle five’ before a massive, massive breakdown hits. There’s also a knowing irony to ‘Straight Flush’ where he takes a Radiohead chorus and twists it into a ferocious spit-ball, completely changing its meaning. Between the joyful roar that opens ‘Flake ‘ and the wicked burst of laughter on ‘Bubblegum’ you can feel his energetic, fun performance.

    They know it. Now you do too. Flesh Creep are a stunning hardcore band. ‘Glimmer’ tells you everything you need to know. It’s a blistering, exciting EP that froths with enthusiasm.

    IAN KENWORTHY

  • Ozzy Osbourne – City Of Birmingham To Celebrate First “Ozzy Day”

    Next Wednesday, July 22nd, will mark the first-ever “Ozzy Day” in the city of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. This celebration will honour the life, legacy and Birmingham roots of the Prince of Darkness, who, alongside his bandmates in Black Sabbath, helped put Birmingham on the global metal map.
    Read more…
  • Offalfest 4: Festival Preview

    Offalfest 4: Festival Preview

    Words: Dan Barnes
    Photos: Tim Finch

    We at The Razor’s Edge are stoked to be covering the fourth edition of Offal Fest in Manchester later this month; two and a half days of the most disgusting music you could hope to hear, twenty-five awesome bands and a spanking new venue to show it all off in. Sadly, the north-west has waved goodbye to two of the area’s best extreme music shows, with the UK Slam Fest hitting its tenth anniversary and calling it quits, and the Bolton sausage fest that is Grind After Death going on an indefinite hiatus after this year’s fifth birthday bash.

    Happening over the weekend of 24th to 26th July and no longer being hosted at the Bread Shed, rather moving to the unfamiliar confines of Manchester Metropolitan University’s Boundary venue, not a place I’ve been before, but they’ve got three-shots for £6 and will price match Guiness – so you can’t say fairer than that.

    The weekend begins with a pre-show of half-a-dozen bands to get the blood properly pumping. While it might be additional to the weekend ticket, the cost / benefit analysis makes it a sound financial investment. Headlining this event is hometown heroes, Crepitation, who don’t have too far to come to attend, and have carved a niche for themselves following multiple shows at Slamfest, Bloodstock and Damnation; always a joy to behold and renown for levelling any stage they step upon – so much so that their recent back-catalogue features a number of live releases. The debut full-length, The Violence of the Slams, might well be more than decade old, but it’s still a blistering half-hour of slamming deathgrind.

    Brutal technicians, Infected Disarray, have a patchy past, in regard to their active years. Formed in 2000, going on hiatus until 2004 and being operational until 2012, in which time they released their one and only – to date – album: 2009’s Disseminating Obscenity, which, as luck would have it is receiving a 2026 redux to be released mere days before this show. With a whole heap of song titles culled from a medical dictionary – Prenatal Excavation of Diseased Ovarian Atrocity, Demonstrating the Necessity for Extreme Prejudicial Infanticide Within the Vomit Filled Womb – the four-piece has been together since the first reformation in 2004, with Toms Carter and Broadfield of Twitch of the Death Nerve, joining the OG Joninsane and Paul Martin for what is sure to be a terrifying experience.

    Mancunian slammers, Coprocephalic Mutation, have been issuing product since 2018 through a series of singles, demos and splits with the likes of Infantectomy, .357 Homicide, Traumatomy and PeelingFlesh, with only the 2020 EP, D.3.1.4., being a singular example of CM’s brutality. Catchy slams and mammoth beatdowns are the order of the day when these lads hit the stage.

    Gore-obsessed Glaswegians, Scordatura’s career started back in 2008 with their Genocidal Maniac demo and had given the world three full-length records of fetid Dying Fetus-meets-Cannibal Corpse levels of sonic violence. Taking a break from his day-job in Party Cannon, vocalist, Daryl Boyce has been fronting Scordatura since the beginning, and the release of this year’s Led Into Oblivion album proves this is no side-project.

    Popping across from the North-East, Ovulating Cadaver might be a new band, having only formed in 2024, but the members have cut their teeth in acts like Vulgar Dissections, Stone Cold Abyss and Plague Rider. With just a couple of singles to their name, OC is already showing themselves to be ones-to-watch as their journey through brutality develops momentum. Scottish brutal Dissolving Entity may only have been together a little over a year, but they’ve been granted the honour of opening the whole weekend. Their debut EP, Parasite Enthroned, is three blasting assaults in eight-minutes, so it’s best to get to the Boundary early so as not to miss out on them.

    Offal Fest 4 has pulled off a major coupe by bringing Dallas slam royalty, Devourment, to Manchester for their first UK show away from the south of England. Celebrating more than thirty-years and brutality and slamming, and the recent release of their first new studio material in five-years on the EP Pious Impiety, which shows the band is still as focused on the mission as ever they were. The band’s debut album, Molesting the Decapitated, might have been released in the last millennium, but its power and influence is still felt to this day. Following full-lengths Butcher of the Weak, Unleash the Carnivore and Obscene Majesty have been punctuated by periods of inactivity from the band, but what a unique selling point for any festival to boast, having these Texans topping the bill.

    New York natives and brutalists, Immortal Suffering, make a swift return to Manchester after their May 2025 show at the Rebellion Music Bar with Stabbing and Emasculator, one of only three times the Queens crew have ever stepped foot on an English stage. This, if anything, makes their appearance at Offal Fest all the more mouth-watering, with the prospect of blistering tracks from Asylum and Preyed Upon, as well as newer material from the Extreme Torture EP of 2023.

    UK debutants, Italian technical mob, Unbirth, take their name from a sexual fetish that – let’s just say – reverses the birthing process (Google it if you’re interested, but don’t blame me if you have nightmares). Their fixation on the cosmic scale and insignificance of humanity in the face of that can be heard across the band’s three full length records, beginning back in 2013 with Deracinated Celestial Oligarchy, up to last year’s Asomatous Besmirchment.

    Tokyo grindcore/ goregrind terrors, Butcher ABC, is another band heading to these shores for the first time with history dating back to the mid-nineties and a discography heading as far back as 2002. The only full-length album in the ample back-catalogue is 2017’s confrontational North of Hell, with the remainder being a host of live recordings, demos, EP and splits with the likes of General Surgery, Coffins and, most recently, 100 Years War. Greek goremongers, Embryectomy, come to Offal Fest fresh from their show at 2025’s Flesh Fest with Amputated and Epicardiectomy, where their tales of torture, rape, murder and infanticide found favour with the locals. No new record since 2020’s Flamethrower Ecdysis but with drummer Jake Gamble having now established himself behind the kit since joining in 2024, expect a mighty barrage blasting across the Boundary.

    Rarely a place you think of where brutal death metal is concerned, but Switzerland’s Kakothanasy have been bringing the sickness since 2012 – or 2010 if you count the early years as Genocide Farm. Last year’s sophomore full-length album, Metagonism, was thirty-minutes of ferociousness, all presented with dictionary-busting titles. Drifting to a Moderately Commutable Adjustment Without Fitness Supremacy, Foremost Biotic Constituents Conjoined for Analog Synthesis: An Irrelevant Recognition of Qualms? and The Hard Problem of Targeting an Irrefutable Endogenous Transmission in a Somatic Compound give you an approximation of where the band is coming from. Italians Inverecund have a new demo which includes a cover of Slayer’s Dittohead alongside two new examples of their old school brutal stylings. A continuation of the EP Engrossed in Horripilation from 2023, it takes mid-paced death metal and fills it full of dark, foreboding atmospherics and chilling horrors.

    Northern Ireland’s Strangle Wire prove Belfast isn’t only responsible for top quality punk bands, with their take on rampant death metal from the early days of the genre. The quartet have been around for a decade, and their 2022 debut album, Shaped by Human Frailty is certainly a collection of tunes well worth a look. Manchester’s Disgracing bring slamming brutal death metal blasts and croaks, with 2026 debut EP, Descension into Despair, finding just the right balance between slams and brutality. Colchester’s Battle of the Slams winners, War Bastard opens proceedings with some classic old school death metal.

    Whatever you have left after Saturday’s mammoth session of musical extremity will be stiffly put to the test on Sunday, with eleven more global acts specifically booked to remove the skin from your face and the cranium from your shoulders. Making their UK debut as Offal Fest’s Sunday headliner is Ohio wrecking machine, Regurgitate, whose sole studio full length, Tales of Necrophilia, might have crawled out of it’s grave in 1999, but still casts a significant shadow over everything that followed. The core personnel of Tipon, Baker and Baxter have been spewing the gore since the mid-nineties, with second guitarist, Steve Pedley, ex-of Emaciated Entrails and Embalmer, joining at the millennium. The on/off nature of Regurgitate means only Tony Tipton and Brian Baxter contributed to the 2011 EP, Clitoraldectomy. It certainly is a tantalising prospect to finally see these legends on British shores.

    Named after their countryman, movie director and generally considered Godfather of Gore, Lucio Fulci, Caserta-based death metallers, Fulci, offer a new definition of the genre by taking crushing riffs and abject brutality and infusing them with a cinematic atmosphere and stories of zombies and gore. Early albums, Opening the Gates of Hell and Tropical Sun are love-letters to Italian shock cinema, their most recent full-length, Duck Face Killings is based on the 1982 Giallo classic, The New York Ripper, and features unbridled raw aggression across its entire run-time.

    Prague brutal slammers, Epicardiectomy have been bringing the violence since 2007, and come back to Manchester following last year’s Flesh Fest headlining slot. With album number four, Dismal Landscapes of Voluptuous Pustular Cadaverosis, locked, loaded and ready to launch in August we might well be getting a host of new tracks to accompany classics like Prurience in Putrescence, Horrendous Festering Transmutations and Fornicating in Pulverized Feces. If the 2023 EP, Exhumed Decollated Mutilation is anything of a signpost, then I’d suggest the upcoming material will be business as usual.

    I cannot wait to see Danish Slam machine, Guttural Slug, again after their monumental opening slot on the Party Cannon / Internal Bleeding shows as recently as April. That night, the Slug were the bollocks, focusing on the recent Ulcers in the Flesh of Thought EP and, of course, the stone-cold slam monolith that is Megalodon. Need to get a shirt this time. Another band with a name related to the Italian horror scene, London trio Twitch of the Death Nerve is so-called due to the 1971 Mario Bava movie, aka The Bay of Blood. Like Fulci, their musical focus is to translate the intensity of the visuals and recreate them through slamming brutality.

    Originally from South Korea, now playing out of Yokohama, Japan, Suffocation-inspired duo, Fecundation ooze and slither with a rank intent, their latest album, Moribund fluctuating between blasts and crawling riffs. Torture, suffering, domination and defilement are the of the day for Lille’s Darkall Slaves, who take the brutality of Disgorge and the technical prowess of Malignancy and stir it up into a cacophonous cocktail of sound.

    Scottish band, Laceration had something of a purple patch between the release of their debut EP, Condemned to Torture in 2010 and the 2013 issuing of the Severing the Divine Iniquity debut and, to date, only full length. Blending slams, brutality and grind into a fetid musical concoction that is sure to pep up your summer Sunday. One-man noise-grind outfit, Lymphoedema, makes his way to Manchester from Limerick City in the Republic of Ireland, certain to bamboozle with his combinations of musical extremity, mixed with drone, harsh noise, trap and more. Likely to be a show for the ages.

    Italian duo, Gorge, have barely a year of activity but have a couple of demos and a single to show off their old school, mid-paced brutality, all leading up to the launch of debut album, Deeds of Horror set for the end of August this year. Repulsed make the relatively short trip up the M6 from Milton Keynes to open Sunday’s shenanigans with some heavy, hardcore moves.

    Offal Fest 4 is all set to be a worth iteration of the festival and a special weekend for extreme music. It your tastes veer away from the mainstream, I’m sure there’s something here for you to enjoy. I listening to all the bands preparing for this preview I can honestly say absolutely every band playing has the ability to be Band of the Weekend. Let battle commence!!!

    For all the latest newsreviewsinterviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebooktwitter and instagram.

    The post Offalfest 4: Festival Preview appeared first on The Razor's Edge.