Posts By: Apoch

REVIEW – Deth Kaktus: Prick

Posted by & filed under Metal, Reviews.

Going through the ol’ inbox in the mood for metal brought my attention to one by a band called Deth Kaktus. I decided to check it out and look more into the band themselves given the promo description spoke only about the band’s dedication to the music and their guitarist Matt Garvey having mastered it. Other than that I was met with an incomplete band line-up on their Facebook, coming soon pages on their website for over half its contents, and various broken links. Thankfully the ones in the press kit worked, but even then I have little idea who the band is and that their debut album Prick actually dropped July of 2022 through Spotify with Wormholedeath Records handling digital distribution September 9th of 2023. So, there’s your intro, but what about the effort itself?

FIRST – Marduk: Memento Mori

Posted by & filed under Features, First Impression.

One of the first black metal bands I discovered on my journey scraping the surface of the style’s world back in the day was the legendary Swedish act Marduk. More specifically it was their 1999 album Heaven Shall Burn… When We Are Gathered. While it may have been the earliest, it wasn’t necessarily one that captured my interest. It wouldn’t be until 2004’s Plague Angel that a true appreciation would be found. With the exception of Viktoria, I stayed on top of the group’s material, so I was anxious to tear into their upcoming full-length Memento Mori the moment I saw it sitting in my inbox courtesy Century Media. These are my initial thoughts that left me asking “What the actual fuck?”.

REVIEW – Ageless Summoning: Corrupting the Entempled Plane

Posted by & filed under Metal, Reviews.

UK death metal supergroup Ageless Summoning came to be back in 2016. Up to this point, they have only issued a demo tape (with seven-inch vinyl reissue later down the line) in 2018. Within its ranks are members of Abyssal, Haar, Of Spire & Throne, Scordatura, and Úir among others. Despite the lineage and the sound of said bands, the five-piece chose to take heavy cues from the USDM scene, largely the dark and oppressive side of Morbid Angel and Immolation according to vocalist Ali Lauder. After roughly five years of studio silence we now brace for impact of their debut full-length effort Corrupting the Entempled Plane.

UPDATE – My Two Years in Hell (with Two Vlogs)

Posted by & filed under blog.

“Where’ve you been?” is a question readers and pr contacts probably never asked. This site has fallen into total disarray. It isn’t abandoned, though. It just dropped in priority as I literally spent two years fighting for my life. Four near death escapes from disease and neglect are now added onto the two prior wins, making it Apoch six against Death’s nill. However, it did not end without scars.

My core strength is non-existent as I was bed bound for two years fighting mrsa, nursing that put my life at risk, a refusal to assist due to a hip dislocation, corporate greed, increased PTSD and multiple surgeries meant to prevent an early grave and life betterment on top of ineptitude leaving my insides permanently shifted. I finally broke my silence, but it definitely took a while due to the scars being a bit too much. Honestly, I just didn’t want to recap what I went through despite telling mytself I’d feel better if I did. Below are various chunks from Twitch streams outlining my stay in hell. I don’t cover everything for privacy reasons. A follow-up video will eventually happen.

INTERVIEW – Hammerhedd

Posted by & filed under Interviews.

During a random “my inbox is at max capacity” cleanse, I happened upon a random promo from Freeman Promotions boasting a cover that takes heavy inspiration from the iconic film promotional material. Intrigued, I dug deeper to find an unsigned act helmed by three blood brothers and a love of hard-hitting proggy djent. It had been a good while since this site hosted an interview, so who better to revive this format than a trio truly dedicated to their craft? Check out what strong>Hammerhedd had to say ahead of dropping their second full-length studio effort, Nonetheless!