After another fraught and very
busy few weeks in the lead up to Christman holidays, I find myself playing
catch up again, so apologies, but we’re back and today I present week 49 of THE SLUDGELORD’s weekly selection of
Essential Albums, bringing you a crushing lineup from the underground. Each
record is uniquely heavy in its own right, and together they will shake
foundations and melt speakers.
The crown jewel this week
is 1914 – “Viribus
Unitus” (Blackened Death Metal / War Metal). Few bands capture the horror
and futility of war with such visceral force. This record is a battlefield of
blackened death metal, cinematic in scope and merciless in execution. It’s not
just heavy—it’s history weaponized into sound, and it stands as my album of the
week.
From there, the sonic
punishment takes many forms. The
Grasshopper Lies Heavy – “Heavy” (Noise Rock / Sludge) is abrasive and
confrontational, yet strangely hypnotic in its repetition and raw energy. It
thrives on dissonance and volume, pushing noise into catharsis. Veilburner – “Longing For Triumph,
Reeking of Tragedy” (Avant‑Garde Black/Death Metal) is pure madness incarnate,
twisting experimental blackened death into shapes that defy logic yet remain
compelling.
Demon King – “Death
Knell” (Technical Death Metal) brings razor‑sharp precision, a relentless
storm of riffs and blastbeats that never lets up. Decrepit Altar – “Egregious Defilement” (Cavernous
Death Metal) drags listeners into the abyss with grotesque, uncompromising
heaviness steeped in decay. Dead
and Dripping –
“Nefarious Scintillations” (Brutal / Technical Death Metal) is a
whirlwind of savagery, chaotic yet meticulously executed, proving that
brutality can be both calculated and overwhelming.
Closing the ritual is Phobocosm – “Gateway”
(Death/Doom / Blackened Death Metal), a suffocating descent into abyssal
despair. This record feels like staring into a void that gazes back, a chilling
and atmospheric finale to a week defined by extremes.
This is THE SLUDGELORD’s Essential Albums of the
Week, WK49. Plug in, drown out the noise of the world, and let the underground
consume you. The ‘Lord has spoken.
⚔️ 🩸 Album of the week:
#330
⚔️ Artist: 1914
🩸 Title: “Viribus
Unitus”
⚔️ Release date: November
14th, 2025
🩸 Genre/tags: black metal, doom, death metal
🩸 Essential Release (s)
#328
⚔️ Artist: The Grasshopper Lies Heavy
🩸 Title: “Heavy”
⚔️ Release
date: November 14th, 2025
🩸 Genre/tags: noise rock, sludge, doom
#329
⚔️ Artist: Veilburner
🩸 Title: “Longing
For Triumph, Reeking of Tragedy”
⚔️ Release
date: November 14th, 2025
🩸 Genre/tags: avant garde death metal, dissonant death
metal, experimental death metal, progressive death meta
#331
⚔️ Artist: Demon King
🩸 Title: “Death
Knell”
⚔️ Release
date: November 14th, 2025
🩸 Genre/tags: technical death metal
#332
⚔️ Artist: Decrepit Altar
🩸 Title: Egregious
Defilement”
⚔️ Release
date: November 21st, 2025
🩸 Genre/tags: death metal, doom
#333
⚔️ Artist: Dead and Dripping
🩸 Title: “Nefarious
Scintillations”
⚔️ Release
date: November 28th, 2025
🩸 Genre/tags: brutal death metal
#334
⚔️ Artist: Phobocosm
🩸 Title: “Gateway”
⚔️ Release
date: November 28th, 2025
🩸 Genre/tags: death metal
