Twenty years ago, an underground cult movement surfaced in Tampa, Florida that revolutionized the metal world. The pioneers of this burgeoning scene, DEICIDE, are still striking fear into hearts of the masses to this day. Century Media Records are extremely proud to announce a worldwide deal with DEICIDE, one of the founding fathers of death metal and easily one of the most influential and controversial bands ever. With a relentlessly brutal sound and uncompromisingly blasphemous lyrics, DEICIDE helped set the standards for extreme metal and have maintained those standards ever since.

DEICIDE led by original members Glen Benton (vocals, bass) and Steve Asheim (drums) have been busy at Audiohammer Studios with Mark Lewis (Black Dahlia, Chimaira) and are looking at a summer ’09 release. The group have reunited with legendary guitarists Jack Owen (ex-Cannibal Corpse) and Ralph Santolla (Obituary, ex-Iced Earth, Death) and will embark on a two-week European tour in January 2009.

Benton states: “I want to say it is an honor to be an official CM artist. I look forward to working with the fine folks at CM and providing them with our style of metal. I can ensure you that what surfaces will definitely be nothing less than a total bash-your-face-in-from-start-to-finish, bastard. HAIL SATAN!!!!”

Asheim further comments: “I’m happy to be a part of the CM family and look forward to working with them. The new DEICIDE material in the works should be a good way to kick off the new deal. It’s a totally sick new record with a totally sick new label, but the same ol’ sick DEICIDE. See you all in 2009 and hold onto your balls!”

DEICIDE released their groundbreaking self-titled debut in 1990. Recorded at Tampa’s Morrisound Studio (the legendary studio where the band would go on to record all its albums), the vicious debut would soon be hailed as one of the “Top 100 Metal Albums of the 90’s” by England’s metal authority, Terrorizer Magazine. In 1992, DEICIDE followed up their debut with “Legion”, which was an instant success, further establishing their furious musical intensity and vengeful anti-Christian stance. This landmark extreme metal release secured their place at the forefront of the American death metal scene as they rapidly earned a reputation for controversy.

DEICIDE’s appearance and live antics matched the extremity of their music and lyrics. With an inverted cross branded into his forehead, Benton cast himself as the incarnation of pure evil. At shows, he was known to pull such stunts as dousing the crowds with bags full of real animal organs. DEICIDE quickly found themselves banned from clubs, boycotted by magazines, and blacklisted by Christian groups and animal-rights activists. Anti-establishment to the core, DEICIDE embodied the worst fears of the conservative masses, and loved it. Rather than shy away from controversy, DEICIDE provoked it and willingly engaged in it.

DEICIDE stormed ahead into the future, releasing numerous albums engulfed by waves of controversy, as their popularity continued to ferment within the scene. However, it was the 2006 release “The Stench of Redemption” that put the band back on the map as the leaders of the genre. This was their first album to showcase the more melodic leads of guitarists Owen and Santolla which only added to their riotous and enigmatic success. DEICIDE looks forward to taking things to the next level in 2009, promising to deliver the album of their already heralded career.

United States-based tech-death masters Origin strike again with their new album, Chaosmos. The long-standing outfit celebrate not only a return to Nuclear Blast but also ring in their 25th year on Chaosmos. The same fury, brutality, and musical savvy that brought Origin critical acclaim and a devout fanbase on Unparalleled Universe (2017), Antithesis (2008), and Origin (2000) returns with reinvigorated intensity, passion, and skill. In 2022, the group—Paul Ryan (guitars/backing vocals), Mike Flores (bass/backing vocals), John Longstreth (drums), and Jason Keyser (lead vocals)—are undeterred by unprecedented roadblocks and global uncertainty as they push forward. Indeed, Origin’s new-era shock and awe mission is complete on Chaosmos.

“The music of Origin is a fusion of order and disorder. Our music is viewed as a meaningless assemblage of infinite perspectives,” posits guitarist/vocalist Paul Ryan with cosmic import.

Formed in Topeka, Kansas, in 1997, Origin have eight full-length albums to their name. The group buzzed early with their 1998 EP, A Coming into Existence (Original Records). Fans of high-caliber death metal and record label representatives had noticed. It was after Origin joined luminaries Nile, Cryptopsy, and Gorguts on the 1998 Death Across America Tour that a monster was unleashed. In 2000, Origin signed to Relapse Records, issuing four full-length albums in Origin, Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas (2002), Echoes of Decimation (2005), and the Billboard-charting Antithesis. While on the label, the group gigged incessantly, appearing on such notable tours as Death Across America 2000, Relapse Contamination Tour 2008, The Summer Slaughter Tour North America 2009, and several successful European runs. Additionally, guitarist/vocalist Paul Ryan was listed on Decibel’s Top 20 Death Metal Guitarists list in 2007. Origin’s subsequent albums Entity (2011), Omnipresent (2014), and Unparalleled Universe garnered praise in Metal Hammer, Allmusic, and Exclaim!, while occupying prime slots on the Occupation Domination 2012, the Devastation on the Nation, and The Hell Over Europe tours. Chaosmos yet again sees Origin’s technically apt death metal in scarily superlative form.

“It’s our third album with the same lineup,” Ryan says. “And I personally feel it’s a continuation of who the band is currently. At the start of 2021, people started talking about a new Origin album, and I wasn’t sure if the world was literally ready for it due to lockdowns/restrictions. In March, I told myself, ‘I will write one song per month until I finish the album.’ When it was completed, I sent over what I had written to the rest of the band. From that point forward, our collective alchemy resulted in what you hear on Chaosmos.”

Jungle Rot unravel unregulated aggression in a purely candid style. As if set to an egg-timer, it never takes more than a heartbeat for this four-piece from Chicago to go straight to the fuckin’ point. Their songs are known for hostility and tightly infectious riffs. They have an impressive ability to deny sounding “reused” or “recycled”. Throaty, but understandable vocals have long been a trademark of Dave Matrise all throughout the nine years JR has been shoveling forth their particular brand of underground demolition. About the best thing going for Jungle Rot is their versatility. Referring mostly to musical style, their capacity to be a welcome addition to any bill is almost without question. Be it Sodom, In Flames, or the Beastie Boys, Jungle Rot is destination unto themselves.

Florida’s THE ABSENCE came onto the scene in 2005 with their crushing, Erik Rutan-produced Metal Blade Records debut, “From Your Grave.” The album and its two follow-ups, 2007’s “Riders of the Plague” and 2010’s “Enemy Unbound,” showcased the perfect mixture of heart-wrenching melodies and skull-pounding aggression, truly making them one of the premiere bands of the melodic death metal scene. THE ABSENCE further ensconced their reputation via several tours supporting some of the biggest names in metal, including Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, Amon Amarth, Goatwhore, Kataklysm, Destruction and Entombed.

And then they seemingly disappeared.

Despite some setbacks in personnel coupled with a desire by some band members to explore new terrain recording/performing with additional groups or working in related fields producing or handling live sound/tour managing for others, THE ABSENCE was merely put on hold until the time was right to return. Last year, the regrouped outfit of singer Jamie Stewart, drummer Jeramie Kling (Venom, Inc., Infernaeon, Necromancing The Stone) and bassist Mike Leon (Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy, ex-Havok, ex-Arsis), along with the addition of celebrated guitar duo Joey Concepcion (Sanctuary, Jasta, Armageddon) and Taylor Nordberg (Soilwork, Ribspreader), teased fans with the face-melting “Septic Testament.” The reaction was phenomenal and motivated the band to continue writing and recording their epic return, and be absent from the scene no more.

THE ABSENCE’s new album, “A Gift For The Obsessed,” further proves why All Music Guide called the group “the greatest Swedish melodic death metal band ever to emerge from Florida.” Mixed at Sweden’s Panic Room (Watain, Scar Symmetry) and mastered at the country’s Ghost Ward Studios (Katatonia, Opeth), and featuring a striking layout by HKB Design (Sepultura), the album deftly mixes melodic death and thrash with incendiary guitar playing, pyrotechnic drumming and a sense of renewed hunger. Over its 10 blistering tracks – including a cover of Suicidal Tendencies’ “You Can’t Bring Me Down” featuring guest vocals by Soilwork / The Night Flight Orchestra front man Bjorn “Speed” Strid – the group not only shows no signs of rust whatsoever, but also sounds more potent than ever.

Early in their career, Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Morta Skuld accomplished the impressive feat of being signed by leading British independent metal label , but with no company showing similar interest in their homeland, they never quite managed to ascend beyond the underground death metal scene. Originally founded in 1989, Morta Skuld recorded and circulated two separate demos (1990’s Gory Departure and 1991’s Prolong the Agony) before pairing up with Rhode Island’s for a split single in 1993, which would duly get both bands signed to . Morta Skuld struck first, however, unleashing their Dying Remains debut later that same year and heading out on tour with genre fixtures like , , and , then repeating the pattern with 1994’s As Humanity Fades and 1995’s For All Eternity, which were followed by more rigorous roadwork in support of , , and others.

But, as mentioned earlier, none of these releases, though brimming with ably performed American death metal, made it into record stores unless imported from overseas, and so Morta Skuld’s frustrated members, Dave Gregor (vocals/guitar), Jason O’Connell (guitar), Jason Hellman (bass), and Kent Truckenbrod (drums), decided to link up with U.S.-based for the release of their fourth album, Surface, in 1998. Unfortunately, by then it was seemingly too late for the group, which was splitting at the seams. O’Connell was the first to bounce (or get bounced!), quickly followed by Truckenbrod, and after hiring a new drummer in former man Jason Mooney, the new trio renamed itself MS2 and sold out to nu metal before morphing yet again into a more groove-metal-oriented direction as , recording one EP and two albums in the late 2000s. The band’s early career dreams were compiled for posterity by in 2005’s Re-Surface: The Best of Morta Skuld, and in 2017 Morta Skuld resurfaced with founding member David Gregor (guitars/vocals), guitarist Scott Willecke, drummer Eric House, and bassist Al Lewandowski, and released their first collection of new music since 1997, Wounds Deeper Than Time. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi