Staff Infections – August 2023

Welcome, friends, to another edition of Staff Infections, our monthly examination of the Last Rites staff’s listening habits. Said listening habits have converged a bit more than usual this time around, resulting in five contenders for album of the month. Without further ado, let us proceed to the award ceremony.

First, let’s meet our runners-up. In a three-way tie for second place, we have some death metal, some power metal, and some music I feel wholly unqualified to categorize. By the way, speaking of power metal, have you checked out Captain’s four-part series on the 100 best power metal albums of all time? You really should, here’s a link to get started. Now, Let’s get the easy stuff out of the way: A pair of Swedish bands account for the death and power metal, portions of our second-place tie, including, respectively, Edge of Sanity with its 1991 debut album Nothing but Death Remains, and Evermore with it’s soon-to-be-released sophomore effort, In Memoriam. Now, the third tine on the trident of second-placers is Balimaya Project, with its second album When the Dust Settles. At the risk of talking entirely out of my ass, I think Balimaya Project might be jazz, but there is a strong African influence, among others, in the band’s work. I won’t pretend to speak with any kind authority on music of this type, but it sounded pretty cool to me.

Now for the big winners: As you can guess, it’s a tie for first place, including the forthcoming new album from Incantation, Unholy Deification, and Defeated Sanity’s pulverizing 2013 album, Passages into Deformity. Defeated Sanity might be cropping up in the playlists for a reason; keep an eye out.

For our group discussion, in light of our death metal-heavy contenders this month, why don’t you share with us your favorite death metal album in each of the past four decades, (80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s). I’ll go first, in order: Morbid Angel – Altars of Madness, Carcass – Heartwork, Bolt Thrower – Those Once Loyal and Blood Incantation – Hidden History of the Human Race.

In addition to the aforementioned death metal albums, be sure to share your own playlist in the comments and have a listen to the staff-curated Spotify playlist below. Y’all take care, and we’ll see you next month.

• Zach Duvall
  Dark Angel – Darkness Descends
  Depesche Mode – Music for the Masses
  Fleshvessel – Yearning: Promethean Fates Sealed
  Sodom – Tapping the Vein
  KEN mode – NULL
  Rage Against the Machine – The Battle of Los Angeles
• Sir William of Ur-Sag
  Defeated Sanity – Passages into Deformity
  Buddy – Superghetto
  Janelle Monae – The Age of Pleasure
  Joell Ortiz & Apollo Brown – Mona Lisa
  Waldgeflüster – Unter Bronzenene Kronen
  Incantation – Unholy Deification
• Danhammer Obstkrieg
  Evermore – In Memoriam
  Rezn & Vinnum Sabbathi – Silent Future
  Kanaan – Downpour
  Balimaya Project – When the Dust Settles
  Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band – Kings Highway
  Incantation – Unholy Deification
• Andrew Edmunds
  Incantation – Unholy Deeznutsification
  Chris Squire – Fish Out Of Water
  Lycanthrophy – On The Verge Of Apocalypse
  Edge Of Sanity – Nothing But Death Remains
  ZZ Top – Tres Hombres
  Cavalera – Morbid Visions
• Lone Watie
  Evermore – In Memoriam
  HamaSaari – Ineffable
  Defeated Sanity – Passages Into Deformity
  Edge of Sanity – Nothing But Death Remains
  Agusa – Prima Materia
  Oiapok – OisoLün
• Ryan Tysinger
  Solipnosis – Síntesis Silenciosa
  Demoniac – Nube Nigra
  Vermineaux – 1315
  Porta Nigra – Weltende
  Khthoniik Cerviiks – Æequiizoiikum
  Deceased – Ghostly White
• Spencer Hotz
  Graveripper – Seasons Dreaming Death
  KEN mode – VOID
  Thy Catafalque – Alföld
  Balimaya Project – When The Dust Settles
  Bloodletter- A Different Kind Of Hell
  The Acacia Strain – Failure Will Follow
• Captain
  Power metal
• Dave Pirtle
  Feuerschwanz – Fegefeuer
  Devin Townsend – Infinity
  Pizza Death – Reign of the Anticrust
  Butthole Surfers – Locust Abortion Technician
  Antti Martikainen – Wanderlust
  Nuclear Power Trio – Wet Ass Plutonium
• Jeremy Morse
  Mercyful Fate – Melissa
  Metallica – Kill ‘Em All
  Incantation – Vanquish in Vengeance
  Defeated Sanity – Disposal of the Dead/Dharmata
  Defeated Sanity – Passages into Deformity
  Dawnbringer – Into the Lair of the Sun God
• Craig Hayes
  Meteor Vortex – Ignition Sector
  Hawkwind – The Future Never Waits
  Convulse – World Without God
  Demigod – Slumber of Sullen Eyes
  Disaffect / Sanctus Iuda – Fuck All Borders
  Warkrusher – Armistice

Posted by Jeremy Morse

Riffs or GTFO.

All Posts