Stortregn are not quite ready yet for that new record with their newfound virulence. So I guess, we’re going to hunt for new ‘n’ monstrous tech death roaming around the early dawn of 2026 somewhere else. A piece that’ll try to melt our faces with its ferocious metal on full display. Just about right for those dreary, ice-cold January days. May the heat of scathing fury warm us instead of the failing heating system. Pump up the volume!
Carrion Vael have left quite a footprint here, once Abhorrent Obsessions hit our loudspeakers the last time around. The record landed on our good side, that’s for sure. And the band did that with a tech death piece going for MOAR! A glut of highly technical elements that never let you escape that terrible wall of sound until the noize finally ended.
Now, in early 2026, they’re back with a new record boasting the ominous moniker Slay Utterly. Already, the album cover pretty much tells you all you need to know about the theme. Abject killing sprees and other blood-soaked massacres are on the menu this time. The Hillside Stranglers, the Toy Box Killer, some obscure axe murders happening in Iowa in 1912, and – behold – the infamous Jack the Ripper, to name just a few. Blood and gore galore, be ready to join the party. That kind of thing.1 Some sort of urge to be part of the Northern-leaning extreme Death Metal crowd of bands wallowing in their numbskull quest to glorify more atrocities, like.2
Slay Utterly takes off where Abhorrent Obsessions left us in 2022. If anything, the Technical and Brutal Death Metal got more intense. The band’s still squarely in the realms of Stortregn, Archspire, or Cult of Lilith. But right now, they’re getting much closer to the abject ferocity of one Anaal Nathrakh than they did in 2022. Not quite there yet still, the banshee-esque screeching is not yet violent enough, but Carrion Vael are straight on course to visit this particular corner of the metal underground. Slowly but surely. And yet again, I can’t shake the feeling that the band’s trying – knowingly or not – to teach Fleshgod Apocalypse a lesson as to how to beat them at their game. And if that sounds much like what the RMR crew already had to say for the band’s last record, you’re not wrong.
Slay Utterly roars down that very same highway with a vengeance. All that noise-laden pandemonium will rush at you like a fucking tsunami of a wall of sound. But contrary to most, this one does not lose half of the elements in the fray. Apart from the bass, pretty much everything is there. The usual wild shred-fest is – together with those furious growls – straight front and center. Exactly where they need to be. The RMR crew marvelled at the luxurious riffs and screaming bridges, the arpeggios3, and the absolutely stellar solo work. The thunderous kit destruction is crisp, brutal, and beset with blast beats that will wup yer asses just good. And again, the mix and master ensured that they sit just behind the vox and axe work. Yet another A-grade sign of a stellar production.
Slay Utterly (unfortunately) sports a fair number of interludes, some sort of ambient interjections. As per the promo sheet, those acoustic isles in a raw sea of violence should lead the esteemed listener into the mood of the next, glistening gut-strewn moment. Yet, the effect was more cringe than noteworthy. However, the artful shots of melodics poured into the overall mayhem were truly well done, clear-voice passages included.
Ultimately, Slay Utterly truly kept the flame of its predecessor alive. The overall delivery may be somewhat livelier with added brutality thrown into the overall ruckus. But by and large, the band followed their very own safe road without really straying to places unknown. And that gave us the impression of a band using restraint and not let the songwriting lead them where it may. And even the aforementioned intros won’t fix that.
That said, the avid tech death fan will leave sated by that rich smörgåsbord of metallic soundbites. Slay Utterly lays it out brutally, deliciously gory and in no uncertain terms. For all of those who expected more refined fare, let’s meet again when their next piece leaves the barn.
Record Rating: 6/10 | Label: Unique Leader Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 16 January 2026