Pissgrave

Emerging from Philadelphia, Pissgrave distinguishes itself among old-school death metal outfits by adopting a war metal production aesthetic whose heavy, raw, depraved, excessively violent, and aggressively inaccessible character shapes both the band’s sound and its underlying aims. Their 2014 self-titled cassette demo, which sold out immediately, drew extreme-music devotees and writers toward a consciously lo-fi, Deicide-influenced riffing method. Suicide Euphoria, issued in 2016 on Profound Lore, attracted nearly equivalent scrutiny for its revolting cover imagery as for its musical brutality.

The quartet formed in Philadelphia in late 2013 from veterans of earlier groups: drummer Matt Mellon, once of Jail and a live participant in Abhomine and the Body; his brother Tim Mellon, guitarist and vocalist, who performed with Oak and in the live version of Abhomine; guitarist and vocalist Demian Fenton, then active in Serpent Throne and previously of Otesanek; and bassist John Guarracino, who remains central to Hæthen after earlier work with Opus Dei. Guarracino exited in 2017 and was replaced by Brad D. Following composition and rehearsal, the musicians submitted a homemade demo to metal outlets, which hailed its primitive production, driving riffs, and unrelenting attack; the tape disappeared within weeks. Canada’s Profound Lore, recognized for extreme acts, signed the band and released the Arthur Rizk-produced debut Suicide Euphoria in late summer 2015. Its sleeve displayed explicit scenes of human decay and putrefaction, prompting reviewers to devote nearly as much space to the artwork as to the music they praised. Live performances further emphasized the malevolent force captured on record.

After nearly two years of touring the United States and Canada, Guarracino departed to concentrate on Hæthen; Fenton recommended Brad D., a former Otesanek bandmate, who joined while the group was still on the road. Returning to the studio late in 2018 with Rizk serving as producer, recording engineer, and mastering engineer, Pissgrave completed the slightly more polished yet still primitive Posthumous Humiliation, whose cover proved even more unsettling than its predecessor.