Our Favorite Heavy Albums of 2019 (Part 3)

Exhumed - Horror Another horror themed album with a brutal throwback cover. Bloody chainsaws always get the party started, and this album is made for partying.

There's some old school thrash and death metal influences here. A fun album that should be jammed to at least a couple times a month. 

Highly recommended to horror movie fans who also dig on old school death metal and thrash.

Stand Out Song: Slaughter Maniac

How's The Mix? The mix feels mediocre to me, but not horrible. The drums and vocals find themselves in the forefront and the guitars are a bit back in the mix. It's not overly muddied though, so that's a good thing. The double bass drums are mic'd well and the snare has a nice tone. This album needs a bit of fine tuning and some shine in the mastering.

Final Production: 3.6 KNOBS out of 5

Death Angel - Humanicide It's great hearing Death Angel back again with their signature thrash style.

With all the technological advancements in the music industry over the years, it's great to hear Death Angel stick to what they do best - wonderfully produced old school thrash.

Even though the production is a bit more polished (which to me is a good thing), the band still manages to achieve that sound that resembles their brilliance thirty something years later. There are frantic, tasty face melting riffs here. Just a really fun album with some deep lyrics about humanity if you're into reading about some philosophical themes.

Stand Out Song: Agressor

How's The Mix? The mix is pretty damn good. There's a clear and massive sound coming through the studio monitors and most of the painted canvas comes together with stellar balance and equalization. There's that fat late 80' early 90's thrash style snare drum, the heavy guitar tones similar to that of older Metallica, Slayer and Exodus which mixes well with the vocals.

Final Production: 4.2 KNOBS out of 5 

Fleshcrawl - Into the Catacombs of Flesh This is one of those bands you have to listen to because of the band name. Not to mention the cover art is intriguing and makes you want to throw it on. I really enjoy the flow of this release.

There's some catchy riffs and the vocals are top notch. Some of the music reminds me of older Bloodbath, but not too similar as to being a carbon copy. This album was made for headbanging. It's raw and heavy. Just what the strangler ordered.

Stand Out Song: Grave Monger

How's The Mix?

As much as I enjoy some of the raw aspects of Into the Catacombs of Flesh, it's a perfect example of an album I would have loved to have mixed or at least mastered. There's some muddiness, but mostly the guitars feel a bit weak and in the back of the mix. The album is really just missing some shine and sonic adjustments that could make the release more massive and appealing to the listener's ear.  The vocals are cool, and I actually like their mix for the most part. The drums are mic'd fairly well, but they need some boost in the mix. Just a bit more polish over all, which would still feel raw, but more powerful.

As a side note, my thoughts are never meant to offend or even correct or presume to know more than other engineer's. I simply have my own approach to music, and being around record label executives over the last 20 years, I've come to know what the bigger labels are looking for. My goal is always to listen to the music, get a feel for the painting and the canvas, then make sure it sounds the best possible for all distribution outlets. 

Final Production: 3.2 KNOBS out of 5

Hour of Penance - Misotheism  I was turned onto Hour of Penance in 2017 with Cast the First Stone. That was a tight album and with Misotheism, they pick up where they left off. The album is blistering, brutal, technical and harrowing in places.

So far it seems the switch from Prosthetic Records (their three previous albums) to Agonia Records has been a good call.

There's a fantastic mixture of crisscrossing frantic riffs, blast beats and growls.

This is one album I'm going to be giving more listens to in 2020.

Stand Out Song: Lamb of the Seven Sins

How's The Mix?

This mix is tight af. I personally love it. When I mix and or master an album, this is what I shoot for. The project just feels complete, the instruments are all tight, balanced well along with the vocals and the massive sonic presence just makes it even more brutal. I think the producer/engineer hit the nail on the head here and understands what it means to make the music shine. 

Final Production: 4.8 KNOBS out of 5

Devourment - Obscene Majesty Devourment is one of those bands that have been churning out brutal gems over the last decade. Fans love them, and rightfully so.

Obscene Majesty pummels away at the core of your soul over the course of 47 minutes. The songs bounce from the ear-holes and ricochet off the back of the skull at lightning speed. You'll feel like you went through a washing machine filled of rocks after listening to this release. Now that's what I call a hell of an album.

Stand Out Song: Sculpted in Tyranny

How's the Mix?

The mix is fairly standard for death metal and even slam releases. I often find them to be a tad muddy for my taste, but it's a small gripe and personal preference. I just always ponder the idea that if these releases sound this brutal already, what would it sound like if I polished them a bit during the mastering phase. The overall mix is decent though. I think the instruments gel well together and the death growls are deep and brutal. Just how I like them.

Final Production: 3.6 KNOBS out of 5

---

Seth Metoyer is the owner and audio engineer at AAMM (Affordable Audio Mixing and Mastering). Find Seth on Twitter or Facebook or email metoyermedia@gmail.com.