Features / Series: Only Death Is Real

For the twentieth edition of this column, we are doing something slightly different. Why? Well, to be honest, my listening habits have taken a detour of late and instead of diving into a million different things, I am concentrating way too hard on a handful of releases. And these two have stood out the most over the last month or … Read more

Can you believe that it’s 2023? It hardly seems like last week that we were ushering in 2022 and trying to maintain an outlook of hope that maybe, just maybe, this was a year in which things got better. Judging by the music that makes up this edition of Only Death Is Real, hope is still hard to come by. … Read more

Winter is approaching which means that musical preferences change alongside the season. For this edition of Only Death Is Real, that change is reflected in the excess of doom that has been released in the last month, with a sprinkling of black metal thrown in for good measure. There’s something about the colder months that brings the impetus for long-form … Read more

The collection of artists that make up this edition of Only Death Is Real have something that connects them. Despite the surface appearances being markedly different across the board, the five bands/musicians gathered here have been wildly prolific in their careers -- whether that’s for a long or a short time, or for concentrated bursts, they all create staggering amounts … Read more

Baazlvaat - An Old Forgotten Text (Self-Released) Baazlvaat appeared as if from nowhere (Flint, Michigan) during 2021 with The Higher Power, a record that owed as much to Bathory as it did to Thin Lizzy (despite the band not really knowing the latter), as a home-recorded full-length that quickly caught the imagination of many in the black metal scene. Having … Read more

The first Only Death Is Real of 2022 comes at a tumultuous time, a time where the pandemic still has a grip on the world and where world leaders can wantonly decide to invade their neighbours on a whim. The nuances are, of course, much trickier to unravel but from the outside the situation is bizarre and heartbreaking. We can … Read more

Circle of Ouroborus - Kiromantia (His Wounds) Keeping up with Circle of Ouroborus could be a full-time job in itself, as the duo turn around new music at a rate that is enough to give one a moment of breathlessness. They have been quieter in recent years compared to the beginning of the band, yet they have maintained a high … Read more

The number 13, unlucky for some, a portend of doom, of sign of bad things to come. For Only Death Is Real the number 13 brings a handful of releases that range from electronic beats to deeply religious texts to raw black metal and dungeon synth. The number 13 is lucky for you. Mother of Sighs – Mother Of Sighs … Read more

It is time, once again, to wax lyrical about how creative the underground metal scene is. This year has seen a surge in artists presenting their full vision for the first time, perhaps an effect of being shut indoors for much of the last 18 months and having the means and time available in which to hone their craft and … Read more

Welcome to the first Only Death Is Real of 2021. Not much has changed since the last time although perhaps there is now some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel in terms of being able to get back to some kind of normality. Perhaps you’re able to meet friends again, maybe you're in the process of being vaccinated … Read more

Can you believe that this is the tenth iteration of Only Death Is Real? Ten editions of a column featuring some of the best and most exciting extreme music of today and ten editions of a column that celebrates just how diverse the underground metal scene really is. The world is a lot different than it was ten columns ago … Read more

Finding new music to explore has become many people's escape since the world of 2020 changed for the worse. In times of struggle music has often become a guiding light and a saviour and in regards to Bandcamp itself, a place where people can effect change just by supporting artists. Music is life-changing. Stay safe, friends. Dumal - The Confessor … Read more

Finding new music to explore has become many people's escape since the world of 2020 changed for the worse. In times of struggle music has often become a guiding light and a saviour and in regards to Bandcamp itself, a place where people can effect change just by supporting artists, some of whom are in turn supporting human rights movements … Read more

The world has gotten exponentially more weird since the last time this column was published and it doesn’t seem as though it’s going to get any better any time soon. Music can help in a multitude of unusual situations and perhaps these five records go some way into making these strange times a little more bearable. Stay safe. Stay healthy. … Read more

2020 has only been upon us for three short months, yet the outlook for the rest of the year looks as bleak as it has ever been. Pandemics, floods, ineffective governments, dysfunctional rulers..... the list could go on but I fear that life is depressing enough already. The music contained within this edition of Only Death Is Real goes some … Read more