Welcome once more, o heathens, to Death’s Door. It’s been awhile. Much has happened. Which I won’t get into. Because yuck. But here we stand upon the threshold of another year of death metal releases and we couldn’t be more tickled.
The first few months of a new year are always strange when it comes to release quality, but thankfully 2025 has unleashed upon us several fiendish delights in the realm of death metal. You’ll read our thoughts on them below, as is tradition.
It’s good to be back. Feast and be merry.
Death metal forever.
-Jonathan Adams
Cream of the Crop
Retromorphosis - Psalmus Mortis
It’s… alive? But was it ever really dead? Infernal Underlord knows. From the still steaming carcass of technical death metal legends Spawn of Possession bursts forth a new(ish?) entity: Retromorphosis. A supergroup of sorts comprised of members from the above-mentioned-and-now-defunct band as well musicians from Necrophagist/Obscura and Decrepit Birth, Retromorphosis had all the makings of being another exercise in name-recognition cringe. Thank the dark ones, that outcome couldn’t be further from reality. From the rip, Psalmus Mortis is an absolute banger, artfully blending all of the best elements of each of the above bands into a singular roiling cauldron of death metal delights that has only gotten more tasty with each new listen.
This review is honestly going to boil down to a few simple statements:
- If you like any of the above bands, you will probably love this.
- If you like technically inclined death metal generally, you will probably love this.
Review over.
But seriously, if either of these describe you I am pleased to report you are the target audience that Retromorphosis is aiming to capture. There isn’t a dud of a track on this entire record, and it’s so nice to see absolute legends of the scene back and operating at the peak of their powers. Of particular note is the performance of Christian Muenzner, who shreds with an urgency and conviction to match his best work in Necrophagist or Obscura. “Aunt Christie’s Will” is especially potent in this regard, churning out passage after incredible passage of premium ripping death metal, accompanied by equally stalwart performances from vocalist Dennis Röndum, guitarist Jonas Bryssling and drummer KC Howard. Pick a random song and you’ll get the same result: unadulterated death metal madness. It’s a thing of beauty.
While we’re not even through the first quarter of 2025 yet, I can happily state that Retromorphosis have released the kind of album that sticks with you throughout the year. I would not be at all surprised to see Psalmus Mortis pop up on my end-of-year list. Front to back there has yet to be a death metal record that thrilled me as much as this one. Highly recommended to all lovers of excellent death metal. They live!
-JA
Best of the Rest
Crown of Madness - Memories Fragmented
Transcending Obscurity Records have been knocking it out the park since the start of the year, with sick releases from Fleshbore, Hierarchies and Shrine of Denial (oh, and the forthcoming release from Crypts of Despair is sounding damn promising too). But today class, we’re here to discuss Memories Fragmented, the debut full length from British Columbia duo, Crown of Madness. This is the type of dissonant death metal that gets me pumped, blending technical prowess with melody and poise, to weave a beguiling yet brutal tapestry. Comparisons to dissodeath flag bearers, Ulcerate, cannot be ignored, but that is certainly not a negative in my book.
Crown of Madness approach things slightly differently to the Kiwi legends, opting for shorter song durations (3-4 minutes instead of 8-9 minutes), and a more direct slant. That’s not to say there aren’t layers to explore or constructs to traverse, far from it. The more I listen to this album the more nuances I discover. “When I Don’t Remember You” has so much going on that you’ll need to stop and take notes while it duly manipulates your brain.
Sunshine Schneider is the main architect here, picking up guitar, bass and vocal duties, which are all performed with dexterous aplomb. Her intricate guitar work stands out in particular, as she fuses furious shredding (“Deafening”) alongside more delicate melancholy passages (“Sea of Fangs”). Everything simmers away nicely on the backdrop of Connor Gordon’s imperious drums, which offer both restraint and out-right ferocity in equal measure.
While Crown of Madness sit at the more melodic end of the dissodeath spectrum, there is still plenty for fans of the harder stuff to enjoy. Their darker moments verge on Hate Eternal wall of noise heaviness, which I’m most definitely here for. However, the overarching intent of this record is to produce depraved melody in as many twisted ways as is humanly possible, and it accomplishes this mission with unnerving glee.
-PK
Fleshbore - Painted Paradise
Not many albums had grabbed my attention during the opening weeks of 2025, but the new Fleshbore full length, Painted Paradise, was a most welcome exception and made the final days of January a lot more tolerable. The Indianapolis quartet deliver a punishing take on tech-death with obvious and undeniable influences from Archspire and Psycroptic. OK, I’m going to level with you, the similarities to Archspire are pretty glaring. Those machine-gun style vocals are present and correct, as are the insanity speed gravity blasts, but there are also distinct progressive forays into atmospheric melody, which is where Fleshbore really come into their own.
I’m all for bands pushing themselves technically, whether it be with speed or complexity of arrangements, but not when it becomes superfluous or even detracts from the musical offering itself. Luckily Fleshbore rarely fall into this trap, and the stand-out moments on Painted Paradise are when they lean more vigorously into their prog influences. The staccato attack of “Inadequate” is a brilliant example of this, especially when the bass elegantly wanders off to channel our beloved Necrophagist. The title track also manages to be intricate without feeling the need to overcomplicate, as the off-kilter structures are balanced by sweeping melody and killer solo work.
While the faster-than-a-speeding-bullet vocal delivery is technically impressive, it does lose some of that impact on repeated listens (especially when battling against the flow of the music). Fleshbore vocalist, Michael O’Hara, fortunately has more than this in his locker and can pull out some ferocious guttural bellows or sickening shrieks to change things up. This variety not only helps keep things interesting but means there is less reliance on that AK47 vocal attack.
Painted Paradise is a damn enjoyable record that tears out of the traps and keeps going for the whole of its 36-minute duration. If you like tech-death this is arguably one of the best offerings of 2025 so far. But if you just so happen to be an Archspire fan, this could be the fix you need while waiting for their (now infamous) new drummer situation to be resolved.
-PK
Phrenelith - Ashen Womb
Death metal, being the multi-faceted genre it is, surprisingly feeds liberally off of one particular trope as a sign of quality: The Riff. We love the riff. We worship the riff. Whether it be slimy, skronky, or sedimentary, we can’t get enough. It’s the lifeblood of death metal, and come hell or high water we at Death’s Door will praise this greatest of attributes until the breath leaves our lungs. All that to say that Phrenelith’s new record Ashen Womb is chock full of riff after delicious riff and is therefore Certified Gud™️. Huzzah!
I’ve honestly had a bit of a back and forth relationship with these Danish death dealers. Their debut rocked face, while their follow-up felt less inspired to me than its predecessor. So I approached Ashen Womb with a bit of hesitation. None of Phrenelith’s music is bad, but my mileage certainly varies depending on their songwriting emphasis. Lucky for me, Ashen Womb is an absolute banger, filled to the brim with more delectable riffs than I could ever ask for. “A Husk Wrung Dry” is a particularly excellent example of the band’s songwriting direction here, unleashing a cavalcade of tremolo-laced riffs steeped in melody and intensity. The performances across the board elevate this and each track on the record to hitherto unknown heights for the band, culminating in their most enjoyable and accomplished release to date.
If you were a fan of either of Phrenelith’s previous releases, nothing about Ashen Womb will disappoint. It’s somewhat adventurous in its approach to melody-building but also revels in hammer smash face-level aggression. It’s a blend of everything the band does well and has been getting fairly consistent play over here since its release. A fantastic addition to an already impressive catalog.
-JA
Estuarine - Corporeal Furnace
It's time to pull an Eden and fuck up this column with a release I can't really fit in anywhere else and which is technically death metal because it's also everything else. Estuarine sound like a cartful of grindcore crashing into a merch stall at a black metal show being manned by a death metal enthusiast. Or something like that, I don't know. What I do know is that if you're a fan of experimental, somehow melodic, and always bewildering music and if, yes, you like death metal, there is plenty on this release for you to enjoy. From angular riffs, through haggard vocals, and all the way to face melting death metal riffs, Corporeal Furnace has something for everyone and that something is a fierce dedication to weird, heavy music in all of its many colors. Also it came out on January 1st and I just find that a very funny and apt day to release an album like this. Press play; you won't regret it.
-Eden Kupermintz