WELCOME TO PATCH NOTESV.666, YOUR, NOVEMBER 14TH, 2025 SYSTEM UPDATE STRAIGHT FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL!
Every Friday, we wade through the carnage so you don’t have to. Whether it’s blackened, brutal, or bugged beyond repair, we’ll tell you what’s forged in fire and what deserves a permanent rage-quit. So equip your best armor, chug a stamina potion, and step into the pit this week with albums from Seattle’s AVOID, the hardcore/death metal stylings of AUDITORY ANGUISH, etheral folk/funeral doom of BELL WITCH & AERIAL RUIN, progressive death masters VOIDCEREMONY, 90s-inspired death metal of DEGRAVED, the metal, grind, and synthwave chaos of NUCLEAR DUDES, black metal veterans 1914, and Swedish thrash attack of MEZZROW.
AUDITORY ANGUISH – AFA [CREATOR-DESTRUCTOR]
Auditory Anguish return with their new EP, AFA, via Creator-Destructor Records, delivering a punishing blend of hardcore and death metal. Building on their previous releases, the band channels influences from Xibalba, Deftones, Trash Talk, and Cannibal Corpse into a dense, bulldozing sound. Recorded and mixed by Taylor Young at The Pit Recording Studio, AFA features his guest vocals on ‘Unrelenting Blade’ and appearances from members of Tzompantli on ‘Tierra Santa.’ Mastered by Nick Townsend and featuring artwork by Rodrigo Morales, this EP cements Auditory Anguish as a rising force in West Coast heaviness. [8]
1914 – VIRIBUS UNITIS (NAPALM RECORDS)
1914 returns with Viribus Unitis, a devastating and emotionally charged expansion of their WWI narrative. Out November 14th via Napalm Records, the album blends blackened death, doom, and atmospheric grit with newfound melodic depth. Highlights include the mournful collaboration with Aaron Stainthorpe (ex-My Dying Bride) on ‘1918 Pt. 3: Ade (A Duty To Escape)’ and the harrowing closer ‘1919 (The Home Where I Died)’. Tracks like ‘War In’, ‘1914 (The Siege Of Przemyśl)’, and ‘1918 Pt. 2: Pow (Prisoner Of War)’ capture the horror, endurance, and fragile humanity of soldiers. Viribus Unitis stands as 1914’s most dynamic and affecting release yet. [8]
DEGRAVED – SPECTRAL REALM OF RUIN (DARK DESCENT RECORDS)
Degraved unleash their debut album, Spectral Realm Of Ruin, a devoted and loving grandchild of 90s-inspired death metal mayhem. Blending Morbid Angel-esque savagery with the grime of Cianide and Demoncy, the Seattle horde vomits forth a punishing Incantation-like atmosphere. Tracks like ‘Pariah Of Death’ and ‘Stalker Of The Herd’ drip like stalagmites in a dank, darkened cavern. Self-produced in their home studio, the raw, murky mix amplifies the chaos while showcasing Degraved‘s devotion to pure, unrelenting death metal magic. The album artwork by Hidris perfectly captures this otherworldly ruin. [9]
AVOID – CREATURE OF HABIT (UNFD)
Seattle’s Avoid embody the chaos of Dale Earnhardt, Guy Fieri, and Steve-O fronting Spinal Tap, channeling pure, joyful mayhem. Their new EP, Creature Of Habit, blends nostalgia and modern aggression into a slick, high-octane affair, with the highlight being the track ‘Sour Apple’, a song about letting go of the past while owning your bitterness. Fueled by NASCAR bravado and Fortnite energy, Avoid turns genre boundaries into speed bumps on their road to unity and fun. With vocalist Benny Scholl leading the charge, Creature Of Habit is loud, inclusive, and utterly unhinged… in all the best ways. [7]
BELL WITCH & AERIAL RUIN – STYGIAN BOUGH: VOL II (PROFOUND LORE)
A seamless fusion of funeral doom and ethereal folk, Stygian Bough Volume II expands the duo’s collaborative sorcery into new, haunting dimensions. Across four sprawling tracks, Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin explore transcendence, worship, and the cyclical nature of power. Opener ‘Waves Became The Sky’ swells with hypnotic resonance, while ‘King Of The Wood’ plunges into abyssal rapture. ‘From Dominion Let Them Bleed’ bridges acoustic lament and cosmic grandeur before the 19-minute closer ‘The Told And Leadened’ crowns this majestic descent. Recorded with Billy Anderson and featuring art by Denis Forkas, this is meditative doom elevated to near-spiritual revelation. [7.5]
VOIDCEREMONY – ABDITUM
[20 BUCK SPIN]
Voidceremony returns with their third album, Abditum, a dizzying vortex of progressive death metal . The Ramona, California quartet channels cosmic unease through twisting riffs and jazz-inflected chaos, where tracks like ‘Seventh Ephemeral Aura’ and the twenty-two-minute ‘Gnosis Of Ambivalence’ spiral between luminous clarity and abyssal murk. Crafted by Garrett Johnson and an international lineup featuring members of Mournful Congregation and Stargazer, Abditum rewards complete immersion. Fans of Pestilence, Atheist, and Morbid Angel will find this a mind-melting, intricately wrought descent into controlled madness. [8]
NUCLEAR DUDES – SKELETAL BLASPHEMY (THE GHOST IS CLEAR RECORDS)
Nuclear Dudes return with Skeletal Blasphemy, their most cohesive and explosive effort yet. Spearheaded by Jon Weisnewski (Sandrider, Akimbo) and joined by powerhouse drummer Coady Willis (High On Fire, Melvins), the album fuses metal, grind, and synth chaos into a futuristic, Carcass-meets-Gary Numan blast. Tracks like ‘Skeletal Blasphemy’, ‘Fully Clothed And Still Afraid’ highlight the duo’s psychotic experimentation. Mixed by Matt Bayles and mastered by Ed Brooks, Skeletal Blasphemy proves Nuclear Dudes can make pandemonium sound deliberate, infectious, and fucking fun. [8.5]
MEZZROW – EMBRACE THE AWAKENING (ROAR)
Mezzrow returns with a vicious slab of Bay Area–influenced thrash with their newest album, Embrace The Awakening. Forged in Sweden and tempered by the cold bite of the Nordic, the album is fueled by the band’s post-reunion momentum and produced alongside Ronnie Björnström. What you get here is eight full-frontal assaults, from the storming opener ‘Architects Of The Silent War’ to the sinister closer ‘Dominion Of The Dead’. Building on 2023’s Summon Thy Demons, an album with a definite old-school bite, Mezzrow once again keeps the guitars un-downtuned, the vocals crystal clear, and the mosh and melody on point. [7.5]
