2021 has proven to be a banner year for brutal death metal. If you’ve been keeping up with current releases and still hunger for more, sink your teeth into these brutal death metal demos and perhaps discover your new favorite band in the process. The following demos and EPs are not strictly ranked; my favorites are towards the top, with deep cuts and peculiar objects of intrigue further down.
Existentia – Calculating Failure
Existentia’s debut EP Calculating Failure is a high point for technical/brutal death metal in 2021. The angular, palm-muted guitar riffs convey complexity and brutality. The drums are some of the crispest and cleanest I’ve heard all year. The production values are superb throughout and the song-writing keeps things interesting across the EP’s fourteen minutes. This one comes highly recommended. Stream/purchase from Bandcamp.
Stabbing – Ravenous Psychotic Onslaught
One of my most anticipated releases of the year, Stabbing’s debut EP Ravenous Psychotic Onslaught lives up to its name, delivering brutal slams with a high degree of technicality and precision. The vocals are grisly and guttural, courtesy of the talented Bridget Lynch (Pyosisified). The full line-up, which includes Meryl Martinez on bass, Rene Martinez on drums, and Marvin Ruiz on guitar, is a veritable supergroup; these musicians jointly possess a highly compelling CV. Stream/purchase from Bandcamp.
Unfathomable Ruination – Decennium Irae
A long-running and always reliable UK act, Unfathomable Ruination fuses technical death metal with brutal death metal in a way that is all their own. This four-track EP, released on Willowtip, packs more riffs and slams than many full-length albums. It may be brief but the taste will stay in your mouth. Stream/purchase on Bandcamp.
Cerebral Incubation – Fermented Cranial Inebriating Fluids
Primordial slam auteurs Cerebral Incubation come through with their first new music since 2017. Fermented Cranial Inebriating Fluids is a chunky, grisly slab of caveman slam with disgusting, downtuned guitar riffs, guttural vocals that often resemble a sustained belch punctuated with pig squeals, and a rhythm section dredged from a swamp. Perfect soundtrack for misanthropically drinking yourself to death. Stream/purchase on Bandcamp.
Anal Stabwound – Abstraction Bathes in Sunlight
Abstraction Bathes in Sunlight is Anal Stabwound’s second release of 2021 following January debut album The Visceral Sovereign. It would be remarkable for any artist to deliver two such excellent offerings in the same year; that this band is the solo project of Nikhil Talwalkar, a 16-year old from Connecticut, makes it all the more impressive. Stream/purchase from their official Bandcamp.
Paroxysm Unit – Promo 2021
Paroxysm Unit is a new international technical/brutal death metal supergroup featuring past and current members of 7.H Target, Encenathrakh, Wombripper, Servants of the Sword, Krallice, Gorguts, Dysrhythmia, Dispersed, etc. Yes, that’s Colin Marston on guitar, and he is in fine form on this EP’s two songs. Honestly, this thing could have been way more experimental, but I am not disappointed; the straight-to-the-point approach works for me, and there’s enough creativity on display to keep this from sounding too much like any one specific influence. This demo is way too good to just be a one-off release; here’s hoping we hear more from this group very soon. Name your price on Bandcamp.
Brodequin – Perpetuation of Suffering
After spending the past few years on a nostalgia kick with anthologies and rereleases, OG brutal death metallers Brodequin return with new two-song EP Perpetuation of Suffering. While this could easily be considered a single (the total runtime is five and a third minutes), I’m including it because both songs are great. “VII Nails” and “Tenaillement” are fast-paced slappers that show Brodequin operating in the same vein as on their records from twenty years ago. Worth a listen if you’re a long-time devotee or a new fan. Stream/purchase on Bandcamp.
腰斩 (Cut At Waist) – Fractured Cranium
China has a small brutal death metal scene relative to its population; Metal-Archives only lists twenty-five bands from the country. 腰斩 (Cut At Waist) from Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, has been around since the late nineties, but only just released a project for wide distribution in the form of Fractured Cranium, an anthology of demos and live recordings from over the years. I found myself transfixed by this band’s style, and the recordings themselves have an air of intrigue and curiosity. I would love to know more about this band and I sincerely hope this isn’t the last we hear of them. Stream/purchase on Bandcamp.
Permanent Disfigurement – Permanent Disfigurement
Guttural slamming brutal death metal demo with excellent album art. Permanent Disfigurement, from Massachusetts, consists of guitarist Trent John and drummer/vocalist Saddam Hughsane, though I detect bass guitar as well. There’s a lot of promise and potential on this demo. Name your price on Bandcamp.
Vulnificus – Innomination
Vulnificus is the duo of vocalist Eston Brown (Abolishing the Ignominious) and multi-instrumentalist Wilson Sherels (a ton of bands). On debut EP Innomination, the two operate in harmony across three tracks of gore-soaked brutal death metal. Supposedly they’ve already signed to New Standard Elite and we can (hopefully) expect more music from them in the future. In the meantime, stream/purchase Innomination on Bandcamp.
Lobotomy Hammer – The Cleveland Mutilation
Lo-fi, old school brutal death metal from Leeds, UK. This is a new solo project of Martyn William Hare, AKA xUndeadx, a prolific musician who has featured in a number of other bands over the years. The production quality brings to mind the reverb-heavy days of decades past, and the raspy vocals conjure a mystique that imbues the demo with charm and character. This is a competent demonstration and a satisfying listen. Stream/purchase on Bandcamp.
Shotgun Facelift – Demo 2021
Pummeling. The (programmed) drums on this EP are relentless, pushing the mix into cone ripping compression when the bass drops. Horror movie samples add to the ambiance as the guitars slam and the vocals croak like a wheezy water buffalo. There’s something a little amateurish about this demo, which is fine by me. I’m intrigued to see where they go from here. Name your price on Bandcamp.
Twitch of the Death Nerve – Beset By False Prophets
Beset By False Prophets is the new EP from London’s Twitch of the Death Nerve, a band whose popularity has exploded in recent years. This release features solid songwriting and showcases the band at their strongest. Stream/purchase on Bandcamp.
Daraku Shita Kanjo – Necessitated Depravity of Denouements
Daraku Shita Kanjo is a solo project from the talented and prolific Wilson Sherels, a musician who didn’t slow down releasing new music all year long. If you’ve enjoyed his other projects, including Rancorous, Epidermolysis, Urotherapy, and the aforementioned Vulnificus, this should be perfect for you. Stream/purchase on Bandcamp.
Eros Rot – Demo 2020
Despite its name, the first demo from Austin, Texas’s Eros Rot was actually released in January of 2021. It’s a demo that has I’ve enjoyed over the course of the year and it speaks to the promise and potential of this young band. Name your price on Bandcamp.
While it can be easy to overlook demos and EPs, this list proves that there can be a reward in keeping up with the smaller releases. It’s been a thrill to explore so much brutal death metal this year, though there’s always a distinct possibility that I’ve overlooked something. If you’d like me to check out your band’s demo, or if there’s a release that you feel deserves to be on this list, let me know in the comments section. Also, stay tuned for my comprehensive list of the best brutal death metal albums of 2021, coming soon.
Opinion of the Court 