Gruesome ~ Jarhead Fertilizer ~ Blood Monolith ~ Desolus

Multi-state death metal project GRUESOME was born out of guitarist/vocalist Matt Harvey and drummer Gus Rios' mutual involvement with the Death To All tours (Harvey served as frontman for the original mini-tour and Rios both performed “Baptized in Blood” and worked with DTA drummer Sean Reinert on the following US tour where Exhumed filled in as support). After discussing and discarding the idea of putting together another incarnation of DTA to focus exclusively on the first two albums, Harvey half-jokingly suggested that the pair write their own songs in intentional homage to Death. It wasn't long before the idea gained traction, and the band soon had five tracks written. With Harvey writing in California, Rios recruited Possessed guitarist Daniel Gonzalez and Derketa bassist Robin Mazen to record the material in Florida, while Harvey tracked his vocals on the West Coast.

GRUESOME released a pair of single-song demos in 2014, and was subsequently signed by Relapse Records in June of that year, with a full-length release (recorded in Florida, of course) planned for early the next year. The result of those recordings would become the band’s debut full- length Savage Land, a truly gruesome slab of Leprosy-styled death metal released in April 2015. It’s clear from the song quality on Savage Land that GRUESOME is humbly determined to keep Death’s classic sound alive as faithfully as possible, and the critical acclaim for Savage Land has reflected the band’s dedication. Metal Injection called Savage Land “the advanced, dripping-rot-from-the-corners-of-a-coffin, putrid, vile death metal throwback that you’ve been waiting for,” while Exclaim declared that “the enthusiasm alone on Savage Land is awe-inspiring.”

After the positive reception of Savage Land, GRUESOME knew they wanted to continue further with their tribute, and decided that any true Death tribute band would have to sink its teeth into the undiluted savagery of Death's early material. Their forthcoming EP reflects that sentiment: produced by the band and co-produced / recorded with Jarrett Pritchard at New Constellation Studios RMP in Orlando, FL, Dimensions of Horror is a gruesome salute to Death's iconic Scream Bloody Gore and once again features cover art by the legendary Ed Repka (Death, Atheist, Massacre). A six-song slab of grisly, bone-breaking death metal jams, Dimensions Of Horror continues the development of GRUESOME's homage to the founding fathers of the genre and proves that no matter the decade, old-school death metal is always relevant, always brutal, and always irresistible. With an all- star lineup and unmatched songwriting skills, GRUESOME is willing and able to propel the historical sentiment and sincerity of Death’s spirit into the present.

GRUESOME is:
Daniel Gonzalez - Guitar
Matt Harvey - Guitar, vocals
Robin Mazen - Bass
Gus Rios - Drums

BLOOD MONOLITH is an emerging death metal juggernaut featuring members of Nails, Undeath, Ulthar, and Genocide Pact. Formed by guitarist/vocalist Shelby Lermo (Nails, Ulthar) in 2023 after his exit from Vastum, the goal was to create something even uglier, weirder, and more aggressive operating out of his new home base in the Washington DC/Northern Virginia area. Guitarist Tommy Wall (Undeath) joined Lermo, and the music for BLOOD MONOLITH’s debut LP was soon written. Bassist Nolan (Genocide Pact, Shitstorm) and drummer Aidan Tydings-Lynch (Deliriant Nerve, Brain Tourniquet) rounded out the lineup.

The band’s location ties deeply into their sound, as this epicenter of mass murder and corruption provides constant fuel for boiled-down anger (as well as a rich history of rebellion through music). The album’s title, The Calling of Fire, invokes the internal and external summoning of rage to spit in the face of that seemingly unstoppable, towering evil, and the sonic excess within lands like a broad-daylight assassination.

BLOOD MONOLITH’s unique and unconventional concept and aesthetic sets them apart from the plethora of interchangeable death metal bands currently inhabiting the scene, and their music is miles beyond them as well. There is a DIY mindset and ethic present, but despite the punk and grindcore pedigree of its members, BLOOD MONOLITH plays crazed death metal of the highest order, influenced as much by classics like Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse as modern innovators like Defeated Sanity and Dead Congregation. Adorned with cover art by legendary Rudimentary Peni frontman Nick Blinko, The Calling of Fire is a testament to all things musically frenzied and extreme, a brutally succinct statement of nihilism in a world beyond salvation.

Ripping Thrash Metal from the D.C. Area.