You know ’em, you love ’em, and you wish they’d release some new music eventually. These are the nine classic death metal bands that really ought to release a new full-length album! Not because they “owe it to fans” or whatever, but because they’re too damn good to stay this quiet for this long. This list excludes bands that are currently broken up (yes, we’d love new Necrophagist).
Dead Congregation
Dead Congregation has two full-length albums released in 2008 and 2014, followed by an EP in 2016. Dead Congregation recently announced their first US tour in nine years, but there’s still not been any mention of new material.
In a 2018 interview, the band stated that they were out on the road and were working on new material, but none of it has surfaced just yet: “We just had a couple of very stimulating shows, one in Montreal / Canada and one in Mexico City. Not to undermine other shows of ours, on the contrary every show is exceptional and fulfilling – it’s just that visiting parts of the world that are further from your country than the ones you get to visit more frequently is always an exciting experience.
“This month we’re also headlining Reykjavik Deathfest in Iceland, then we have a show in Venice/Italy, in the Summer we’re doing Brutal Assault and PartySan, even more shows booked till the end of the year and meanwhile we’re working on new material for an upcoming full-length album.”
Dismember
Of all the bands on this list, Dismember feels like one the most likely candidates to release a new record. Dismember recently(ish) signed to Nuclear Blast and has been digitally reissuing their entire back catalog, with long-awaited physical copies to follow. But what about their potential first record since their 2008 self-titled? According to vocalist Matti Kärki, it’s on their list of things to do.
“I know we have to do something,” said Kärki. “First of all, we need to, or we want to, keep our style, but still, it has to be different in a way, because there are a lot of bands who do the old stuff. So, we have to find our new niche, what we’re doing. But at this moment, I think we have a couple of riffs.
“The guys have been writing at home. We haven’t heard it. We haven’t done anything. The only thing we’ve been talking about, yeah, we need to do a new album. And we have to find a way to make songs across three different countries — Fred in the States, three of us in Sweden, and one in Belgium… We’ll see what happens since we only talked about it.”
Gorguts
Gorguts is back! After shows at Maryland Deathfest 2024 and Decibel Metal & Beer Festival 2023, Gorguts isn’t hitting the stage again until they’ve completed the follow-up to their 2016 EP Pleiades’ Dust (and their potential first full-length since Colored Sands in 2013).
“Thank you, Maryland Deathfest! You were amazing,” wrote Gorguts on their Facebook page after the aforementioned festival appearance this year. “Now it’s time for us to work on new material. The band won’t be performing live until we release our new album. Please be patient—this is how the process goes.”
Grave
Will Grave ever follow up their 2015 record Out Of Respect For The Dead? Right now it’s looking like a maybe. Bassist Tobias Cristiansson and guitarist Mika Lagrén quit the band earlier this year, leaving frontman Ola Lindgren and drummer Tomas Lagrén as the only members of the group. But don’t worry too much – Lindgren said he’s hoping Grave can get some new material together.
“The past months have been quite overwhelming in the Grave camp,” wrote Lindgren this January. “Two of our long-time members Mika Lagrén and Tobias Cristiansson have jumped ship and are no longer in the band. There is no bad blood between us and we wish them all the luck in their future endeavors.
“However this puts an enormous strain on the band and it’s hard to see what the future holds and if there even is a future. At this moment nothing is for sure and nothing is taken for granted.
“A decision has been made to halt all live activities for 2024 since there really is no line up which makes necessary preparations impossible. The main focus for this year will be to restructure the band if possible and to hopefully write/record and release a long awaited new studio album.
Hate Eternal
Hate Eternal is the shortest gap on this list with only five years since their last full-length album, but this is more preemptive than anything else. Hate Eternal mastermind Erik Rutan joined Cannibal Corpse in 2020 and it doesn’t seems like he’s in a rush to return to his former project, given their social media silence. Which is fine – dude’s in Cannibal Corpse. That’s a dream job for any death metal musician.
“I feel so grateful to have been and still continue to be a part of this music that I feel so passionate about and embrace,” said Rutan in a 2021 statement. “Hate Eternal will absolutely continue on.. JJ, Johnny and I look forward to recording another unrelenting Hate Eternal album in the future when the time is right.
“As many people know I have always done multiple things in my career and I plan on continuing that starting with Cannibal Corpse as well as Hate Eternal, Mana Recording, producing and other musical endeavors when time allows. We will have some other great Hate Eternal news to share in the near future and look forward to continuing down the path I have been a part of for decades.”
Demilich
Despite their legendary status and high-billing on death metal festivals around the world, Demilich has one album to their name – Nespithe in 1993. And if you’ve never heard Nespithe, prepare to be transported to a psychedelic hellscape where words are belched out as poisonous clouds.
Nespithe has been reissued a few times over the years, with the definitive version being 2014’s 20th Adversary of Emptiness issued by Svart Records. But will we ever get a new Demilich record? According to frontman Antti Boman in a recent interview with Bandcamp, the band is still working on it (as they have been).
“There will be at least four songs, that’s for sure,” said Boman. “Well, nothing’s for sure, of course—I’m turning 49. But we have four songs ready—er, almost ready. The finalizing phase, it’s been taking time. But now I’ll concentrate on that and get them out, and I have the plan and some riffs. I have the whole concept for the second album, but we’ll see what happens. I can’t promise anything—you must understand [laughs].”
There also might be a live album in the works, but nobody’s heard anything about that yet.
Atheist
Atheist released their comeback record Jupiter in 2010 and, despite playing shows and even touring between now and then, hasn’t released a new record since. Atheist signed to Nuclear Blast in 2023 for the reissue of their back catalog, so who knows – maybe something is brewing in the background?
Vocalist Kelly Shaefer formed a new band Till The Dirt with fellow Atheist bassist Yoav Ruiz-Feingold and guitarist Jerry Witunsky, so who knows.
Martyr
Martyr – the band featuring frontman Daniel Mongrain (Voivod, ex-Cryptopsy, ex-Gorguts). guitarist Martin Carbonneau (ex-Crucifixion), bassist François Mongrain (Apocalyptic Fear, ex-Ex Deo), and drummer Patrice Hamelin (Gorguts) – played their first show since 2011 at Trois-Rivières Metalfest 2023 on November 10, 2023. The show featured Martyr playing a handful of fan favorites alongside the entirety of their 2000 record Warp Zone.
Will this lead to a new record? Who knows! I hope so. Dudes haven’t done anything since Feeding The Abscess in 2006, and more people need to know about Martyr. Like, way more.
