Review: The Curse Made Flesh – To Each Their Hell
Style: Progressive death metal, technical death metal, dissonant death metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Revocation, Death, Psycroptic, Allegaeon
Country: Spain, Netherlands
Release date: 30 October 2026
Dipping into the Subway’s progressive death metal cauldron is a risky endeavor. As the ladle ascends from the underground brew, there’s no telling what flavor it’ll contain. Will it have notes of rotten orchid petals from shameless Opeth worship, slimy Lovecraftian tentacles of the Sulphur Aeon-sort, or God forbid the metallic tang of a gratuitous saxophone solo? Sometimes it’s best to hold your nose and slurp the concoction down quickly. With particularly poisonous batches though, you may be able to get past the initial taste, but your body’s violent rejection can’t be suppressed. As a reviewer of the dark sonic arts, you could say it’s my responsibility to prepare listeners for the physiologic reaction that should be expected when imbibing in a strange prog death album.
Which brings us to To Each Their Hell, the debut malevolent elixir from The Curse Made Flesh. With former members of Pestilence, Carceri, A Goat as our Shepherd, and Inferum, TCMF aren’t new to the witch’s den. Guitarist Javier Valdi’s serpentine riffs slither along the fretboard with a distinct Horrendous undertone1 as his rhythmic passages writhe with an angular groove that’s surprisingly playful, almost, dare I say, danceable. Opening track “Laughter” sets a hell of a first impression from TCMF, as Valdi melds dissonance with wandering melodies amongst the furious pounding of drummer Fons van Dijk. Vocalist Morrison de Boer’s demonic snarl—it sounds like someone is actively removing his tongue as he spits the word “Laughter” throughout the track—adds the volatile spice that zests up TCMF’s incendiary potion. The same slithery groove is found in “Sentence”, an unrelenting track whose fiery tempo is likely to cause heartburn, but it feels so damn good going down it’s worth the pain.
The heights reached in the “Laughter” and “Sentence” unfortunately aren’t matched in the surrounding tracks, as much of To Each Their Hell is marred with inconsistency. While there’s plenty of satisfying Horrendous-style prog death riffing sprinkled throughout, TCMF settle into repetitious passages of overly bright, distorted guitar cords that snuff out the visceral excitement from the aforementioned tracks. In particular, large sections of “Zahhai”, “Honour Killings”, and “Follow the Rats” contain a monotonous six-stringed twang that blends together with repeat listens. This comes at a detriment to the album’s flow, as the initial tempting initial flavor of “Laughter” gradually transforms into a bland aftertaste.
The Curse Made Flesh aren’t afraid to experiment with unexpected tempo and atmosphere changes within To Each Their Hell. Spacious passages in “Cell Fate” and the “Great Dying” grind the tempo down to a halt and enshroud the listener with eerie synths, drifting reverb-lined guitars, and pensive baselines. In addition to providing a reprieve from the surrounding prog death madness, these trance-inducing sections may induce an out of body experience in some as novel ingredients to TCMF’s serum take effect. Speaking of bass, Joost von der Graaf provides one of the top bass performances of 2026 across the album. His deep rumbling is forward in the mix, easily audible alongside the guitars and provides a satisfying, full-bodied listening experience. Rather than simply mirror Valdi’s tremolo and dissonant insanity, von der Graaf infuses his own character within each track. Other progressive death metal bands should take note from TCMF on how to successfully incorporate bass into their sonic character.
The Subway’s witch’s pot did me well this go around with TCMF. Sure, it caused brief delusions of grandeur from the excellent opening track that ultimately went unfulfilled for the remainder of To Each Their Hell, though for a debut, TCMF have made quite a statement. By reducing their reliance on repetitive twang-filled dissonant cords and further embracing their knack for writing deliciously slimy riffs, TCMF have the ingredients to brew up a potent and undeniable batch. Cleanse your palate and check ‘em out.
Recommended tracks: Laughter, Cell Fate, Great Dying, Sentence
You may also like: Horrendous, Hath, Suffering Hour, Artificial Brain
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Art Gates Records Page | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Art Gates Records
The Cruse Made Flesh is:
– Joost van der Graaf (bass)
– Javier Valdi (guitar)
– Fons van Dijk (drums)
– Morrison de Boer (vocals)
- Hell, Ontological Mysterium appears like the cover of To Each Their Hell on LSD. ↩︎
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