(with reports from Rx Zenabi, VVV, and sourcing from Jaw Surgery)
Pyre
Intrinsic Evocations
Independent Release
Hot on the heels of their last EP, INEXORABLE PREPOTENCE, Baguio City’s Pyre released the next assault last July with INTRINSIC EVOCATIONS. The result is more killer black metal with lots of old-school influences.
After it arrived, the Philippines got hit pretty hard with months-long torrential storms, no doubt invoked in chaos by the burning grim hymns on this 5-track CD. Reviewing the music was more enjoyable too, as the never-ending storms destroyed the Philippines with rain, winds, and massive flooding while this was on the monthly review playlist.
To match the decrepit black metal evil of the disc is also the art & packaging.
The color palette of red, black, and some white in the album sleeves creates a sinister feel. There are also some war metal-looking layouts of occult Filipino sigils and designs as iconic symbols throughout the jewel case and CD imagery.
The dominant use of red with photos and text in varying white, black, and grey accents creates a hypnotic feel when reading through. It uses the red-blood-on-snow and grey earth colors and gives that understated evil feel on the disc.
The 5 tracks are hell-infected black metal with lots of jagged, heavy riffs and well-played vo-kills. The production is full-on and adds heavy grimness to Pyre’s northern Phil. black metal sound, a mix of their die-hard old-school black metal influences with modern production and playing.
The riffs are forlorn and grim, but carry raw heaviness, which adds to the brutality. The minor-key, ghostly melodies sound more evil due to the production.
Of special note are the credits, where it’s recorded at DISPERSE MEDIA in March 2026, engineered by Samuel Fianza. It also says vocals were recorded at BELIAL’S CRYPT in the same month, and the band’s riff master general V.E. engineered, mixed, and mastered. These audio production notes also show their attention to detail in the craft and how to present their tracks in their own proper way. Pyre don’t F around and are dedicated to their craft by uniting the chaos sounds with the right imagery and production.
Very few copies remain of its second batch as of press time, so message their page to secure a copy.
Unsignified Death
Towards the Real
Perpetual Abjection
Thailand’s evil HNW master UNSIGNIFIED DEATH will corrode and rot you with death on this killer CD and art piece. Yes, the CD tray is loaded with dead worms. They are a reminder of the fate of everyone, eventually. That powerful imagery is forever burned into your neurons while the brain disintegration style of Unsignified Death continues to waste you to the ground.
The color palette of dried brown and cream color combinations with monochromatic swirled black and matte black are perfect death industrial colors. It’s a death document and killer artwork in one.
Those of you who have checked out his work with Maurizio Bianchi and Coalminer and have been assaulted with his other works should already know the deal. In this case, it’s a one slow-burner, feverish track with corroding walls of death.
This is another killer, well-integrated CD release when the unconventional art piece and packaging are also equal to the musick. All 29:29 minutes of its heavy, raw, harsh noise wall and death industrial textures as you decompose from within. Listeners are also not encouraged to listen to this on acid and view those death-churning worms, or do it; your choice.
One of the most killer noise releases, but very limited; you can snag the last copy here.
DUGO
“KARNE”
Independent Release
I got this from Alex of In Dark Purity zine years ago, and it’s a bloodpack CD demo of the infamous DUGO solo death metal/goregrind/grindcore band. I thought I lost the CD but finally found it in the nether regions of my collections.
I’ve forgotten to ask him, or maybe he already told me and I forgot, about the sole member of the band and other info. I played it and viewed the art and package one super stoned night years ago, and it destroyed me instantly. Nothing new or revolutionary but killer and wellplayed deathgrindcore, and that’s all that matters.
The blood is dried out despite being kept in a good storage, but you get the idea (DUGO is Tagalog for the word blood), and they are for sure the first one to create bloodpack demos in the Philippines to make a memorable first impact. It looks neat and gory, DIY style. The black-on-black liner notes are also sick, but will take effort to read (hehe).
Dugo’s modern production and deep, heavy, super downtuned grinding tracks are broken meat grinders on speed, hurling pieces of riffs and bones, guts, and gore everywhere. They manage to slow down with groovy death riffs, then destroy again with blasts and double-bass battery.
However, the digital release has even sicker artwork visually, so you can copy and print that and add it to your copy (if you have one). But nothing beats physical art, media, and packaging. It’s like owning a piece of history alongside the out-of-print tunes. Hailz DUGO and keep it grinding.
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