Mini Reviews From Around The Bowl (11/12/2026)
Short reviews for Heaven In Her Arms, New World Man, Kuvotus, and Suffering Quota
Heaven In Her Arms – The End Of Purification
Banshies | November 12, 2026
Heaven In Her Arms is a special band. I’ve thought that ever since their White Halo album and The End Of Purification solidifies it. The Japanese post-hardcore/screamo five piece deftly weaves atmosphere and passion throughout every single track on this album. The music is beautiful, anguished, introspective, and caustic, sometimes all in the same song. It all flows like a river. Sometimes the water is calm as if carrying the listener home and other times it throws us against the rocks and pulls us deep into the inky black abyss. Many bands attempt this delicate balancing act, but few achieve it like Heaven In Her Arms. The End Of Purification is an album for those craving more in their music, audibly, emotionally, and spiritually. – 365 Days Of Horror
New World Man – I Am the Machine
Closed Casket Activities | October 23, 2026
What if crossover thrash, but we get a little weird with it? For starters, let’s base the thrash part of the equation on the more adventurous, less palatable specimens like Voivod. Let’s furthermore mix in a few surprisingly funky parts (“Devil Time”) and some odd time signatures here and there (“Hellmonger Deluxe”). Why, the resulting concoction would surely be equally likely to bubble up into aggressive outbursts of choppy riffs and motormouth vocals as it is to simmer down into laid-back, almost jazzy parts. And either of those often sudden, but rarely incohesive changes in direction should just as suddenly plunge right back into a straightforward hardcore mosh part to remind us where we’re at. Yes, it would all be a bit dizzying, especially on a first listen, but luckily, while we shall throw in piano parts and even a saxophone, we’re stopping well short of Mr. Bungle-esque weirdness for the sake of weirdness, and always remain pretty firmly rooted in metal. Surely, fans of acts like Soul Glo that are willing to explore the full implication and potential of the term “crossover” would find much to like. –Hans
Kuvotus – Vivisectionist
Iron Corpse | October 22, 2026
Man, this is really good stuff. You should go buy it. Ah fuck, I need to say more? There’s only like 7 minutes of material here, just go listen to it. Okay, fine: Kuvotus from Finland are the thinking man’s goregrind. That do anything for ya? Straightforward blasting and wonderfully stupid oofta oofta stomping parts are interspersed with just enough death metal and actual finesse in the “song”writing that it prevents everything from becoming the mindless, over-the-top onslaught you might expect. Dumb riffs and some pitch-shifted toilet vocals are never far off, but there are just as many clever (in this context) instrumental flourishes, particularly on the drums, and dual vocal styles stop the gurgling from becoming tedious. Really well balanced, really fun, good stuff, go buy it. And the rest of their discography, too (estimated total length: ~30 minutes, although that includes contributions from their split partners). –Hans
Suffering Quota – Sisyphean Life
7 Degrees Records / Tartarus Records | September 18th, 2026
Over its 12 short tracks, Sisyphean Life packs a full serving of all the essential grindcore food groups: insanity, violence, and existential despair. While the myth of Sisyphus is a well–trodden theme in metal, Suffering Quota add a new depth to the idea by structuring their songs around the idea sonically as well as lyrically. “Slope” builds on its frenetic start until the tempo abruptly shifts to a sludgy, exhausted dirge, as our protagonist struggles to keep pushing up his hilly incline. “Overpowering Weight” starts as a blistering sprint that slowly loses momentum until decaying into a disorienting 7/8 stupor as it is slowly overcome, then overwhelmed by gravity. Unusual for a grind record, this album focuses intently on tempo changes, and as such the drum work really shines here. Reminiscent of Discordance Axis, Pig Destroyer, and Wormrot, drummer Martin Kah blends claustrophobic grind blasts with more tempered powerviolence and hardcore beats that would give an atomic clock vertigo. Layered on top of the drums are riffs that oscillate between manic and hypnotic and vocals that sound like a wombat doing Jane Doe karaoke, a combo that works especially well here. Unlike grindcore albums that overwhelm with speed and chaos, Sisyphean Life gradually constricts the listener, building momentum until it suffocates them with Sisyphean repetition. – Eenzy
