(Today we launch the first of what we hope will be many playlists from our Italian friend Tito Vespasiani, who introduces himself below. This first one is 20 tracks long, with specific commentary in this post about a select few and an embedded stream of everything at the end.)
Hello everyone!
I’m Tito Vespasiani, your friendly neighbourhood death metal aficionado. I do A&R for Everlasting Spew Records, manage a few bands (it all started with Hideous Divinity back in 2012), book shows internationally and in Rome through my agency Death Over Rome, and most of all I love making playlists for people and sharing music with everyone all over the world.
Here’s the first edition of my weekly recommendation playlists. It will be on Spotify (here) as it’s the platform I find most comfortable but I’ll also include other links for those not using it. I’m providing a quick introduction to some of the tracks, but not all, ’cause I don’t wanna bore you to death.
But if you’re down to chat about metal, hit me up on Facebook or on instagram: @tito.vsp
Revulsed – Beyond the Depths of the Subconscious
Revulsed is back! The Aussie combo returns 8 years after their debut full-length with their Suffocation-infused blend of death metal. What makes the guys differ from Suffo itself and their other peers? While very brutal, Revulsed have a surprisingly clean drum sound (and very brilliant execution, patterns are smart, not as flashy and over the top as Defeated Sanity but still standing out compared to most), a very approachable sound that could appeal to listeners out of the brutal death metal scene while not being over produced. Love it!
Trivax – Azrael
Came across these guys only recently and I’m so glad I did. Top-notch black metal! Reinventing the wheel? Probably not. Damn good tho? Damn good, tho.
Cruciamentum – Scorn Manifest
A new Crucimentum release is something that should lead most death metal fans to turn their heads in anticipation, yet in an oversaturated scene this didn’t get the attention it deserves IMO. So here it is! These guys were legit considered new gods a few years back along with Dead Congregation, Corpsessed, Krypts, and a few others, while now other bands get most of the spotlight. It’s all good. But don’t skip this, cause you’ll love it.
Phobocosm – Drowned
Phobocosm is also back! One of my favorite bands in recent years, hailing from Quebec, Canada and blending the Immolation and Incantation formula, twisting into something different and gorgeous. Unfortunately their new track “Infomorph” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCT0CIqUg1c) is not available on Spotify but why not revisit one of their previous gems? Love this track’s atmosphere and its lyrics. You’ll have a chance to check their new effort soon anyways!
Convocation – Graveless Yet Dead
Another band returning to the scenes with a new album (out next month) is Convocation, and what a special band it is. No other currently active band creates the same atmosphere Convocation does. and only Colosseum was close to this. It’s funeral doom but it’s much more dynamic than the rest of the genre, crunchier in sound (check out their previous album Ashes Coalesce. Guitar tone on certain riffs almost reminds me of Nile’s Annihilation of the Wicked and Those Whom the Gods Detest. Give it a try if you don’t believe me) and has an incredibly opulent, majestic yet dreadful atmosphere.
This has almost a Danny Elfman feel, but not as cheesy as you would think it, not cheesy at all. (Please note that Danny Elfman, who did the soundtrack for The Nightmare Before Christmas and many others already has his metal project, kinda close to the sound of Devin Townsend, but Convocation is in a league of its own.)
Silva – Forgotten Sanctuary
Could we be witnessing a resurgence of Melodic Death Metal? I admit I am not as well versed in the genre so I may have lost some gems but I had the impression it was lacking a few “medium sized” bands so to say. We all know absolute giants such as Dark Tranquillity, Insomnium, and more, and many smaller bands (often unknown due to the genre not having the same push other extreme kinds of music have), but not many MDM bands appearing on tours and charts.
Majesties (20 Buck Spin) made some heads turn recently and Silva just released a brilliant album, a bit more black metal prone (maybe hinting at Lord Belial, Naglfar, and the likes?) than the above-mentioned bands.
Vertebra Atlantis – Frostpalace Gloaming Respite
Tomb Mold, cool, Blood Inc, cool, Dream Unending and Worm, cool cool. I am a fan of all four. But I want to shed some lights over Vertebra Atlantis’ newest effort and I’m mentioning those bands as this has something in common with them. The general feel and eerie vibe? Check it out and find out for yourself. Main songwriter is Gabriele Gramaglia, also in Cosmic Putrefaction and Turris Eburnea (also present in this playlist as I’ve been listening to them a lot recently).
