Maryland Deathfest—and with it, Memorial Day—is over, which means summer is upon us. While you might not get to see Bloodbath or Weekend Nachos again soon, the summer release calendar is loaded with death metal of all stripes. Check out our countdown of five albums you’d be a fool to ignore.
Ulcerate – Cutting the Throat of God
Auckland trio Ulcerate have been challenging ideas of what death metal is for more than 20 years and Cutting the Throat of God only pushes that further. Further moving away from the extreme dissonance that defined much of their career, Ulcerate explore melody without ever landing in melodic death metal territory, marrying it with a sense of darkness and dread.
Cutting the Throat of God is out on June 14 via Debemur Morti.
Hyperdontia – Harvest of Malevolence
I wasn’t afraid of having extra teeth until Danish/Turkish death dealers Hyperdontia burst onto the scene in the middle of last decade. Their new album, Harvest of Malevolence, continues where Hyperdontia left off, playing no-bullshit old-school-styled death metal with a slight technical edge. If you want something classic and brutal, Harvest of Malevolence is for you.
Harvest of Malevolence is out on June 21 via Dark Descent and Me Saco Un Ojo.
200 Stab Wounds – Manual Manic Procedures
Few death metal bands have ascended in recent years like 200 Stab Wounds have ascended, quickly moving from the Maggot Stomp ecosystem to big tours and a deal with Metal Blade Records. Manual Manic Procedures is an ode to guts and gore, with songs about medical malpractice, death and blowing up a nursing home. Musically, it sounds kind of like if Cannibal Corpse embraced Dying Fetus’ groove, which is another way of saying it rules.
Manual Maniac Procedures is out June 28 on Metal Blade.
Wormed – Omegon
Spanish tech/brutal death overlords Wormed are back with their first proper LP in eight years—though they released EP Metaportal in 2019 and a split with Compremesis in 2022 following the death of drummer Guillermo Calero—and it was worth the wait. The level of musicianship contained in Wormed is still off the charts—off-kilter time signatures, weird rhythms and high-level instrumental performances are par for the course. Conceptually, Omegon picks up where last album Krighsu left off, it tells the story of Krighsu, “a timeline hacker entangled in manipulation by cosmic forces.” Throughout the album, Wormed tell the story of the hacker discovering the secret of Omegon.
Omegon is out on July 5 via Season of Mist.
Oxygen Destroyer – Guardian of the Universe
Oxygen Destroyer are named after a weapon that killed Godzilla in the cinematic universe and their new album, Guardian of the Universe, is heavy enough to smush a kaiju. Masters of both jackhammering, blasting death metal and rowdy mosh parts, Oxygen Destroyer recently honed their claws in preparation for tour with Skeletal Remains and Morta Skuld and the higher level of musicianship is evident on Guardian of the Universe. As an added bonus, some of the song titles could give Nile a run for their money!
Guardian of the Universe is out on August 9 via Redefining Darkness.
