Lord Gryphus – Summoning The King of Death
Release Date: 25th September 2026
Label: Nespithe
Bandcamp
Genre: OSDM
FFO: Malevolent Creation, Autopsy.
Review By: Bryan Mayhem
You can’t sit there and tell me, or anyone from my generation, that there’s anything better than the 1990s. I’m not talking about pop culture or any of that bullshit. I am talking about music, mostly the heavier stuff, to be exact. The 90s was where grunge was born, where sludge erupted from the swamps and where extreme metal put itself on the map. The black metal from Norway, and the death metal from Florida and Sweden could not be touched. The rebirth and rebranding of extreme metal near the start of 2010s is because the elite bands revisited the blueprint created by the OG’s.
OSDM, a cleverly named subgenre, is reminding us old hats of why we love this music, and introducing a newer audience to the heaviest stuff on the planet.
From Austin, Texas, on Nespithe records comes a band that plays tribute to the greatest generation of metal. Lord Gryphus is a raw and filthy aggressive approach to 90s death metal. Their debut, Summoning the King of Death, is deeply rooted in 90s death metal, but adds a morose atmosphere and a passion for death. ‘Heavy’ doesn’t even describe this record; it is just pure filth.
Lord Gryphus is an anonymous trio of masked madmen. Their identity and concept revolve around execution, sacrifice, and ritual devotion to a carrion deity known as Lord Gryphus, inspired by Vultur gryphus, the Andean condor, a symbol tied to death, transcendence, and spiritual power. Just reading that description makes this record a must-listen.
Lord Gryphus may have kicked the proverbial door down with this record. Its raw attitude and violent approach to death metal can’t be described in words. But the infamous stank face every metalhead knows all too well gives this gritty beast of a record its due!
Seven songs following an intro, Summoning the King of Death is a blitzkrieg of death metal precision. It’s no rest for the weary, and a ferocious attack tells its foreboding tale of death and terror. The Grand Spectacle is a sludge-laden kick in the teeth. A palm mute wet dream, with its thick riffs and teeth-rattling beats, this track never lets you go.
Leading into Banished Leper, the awesome opening riff is a sinister dance with the devil. The vehemence gone awry makes this record an anarchic isotope of energy and hatred. My favorite song on the record hands down!
Sharpening the Guillotine is a war amongst your senses. An unadulterated glimpse at 90s death metal put together in a vicious slab of death metal majesty. The song hooks you from the very beginning and keeps the knife deeply imbedded in your flesh. The vocals are a harsh, blood-curdling growl that matches the relentless tone of the music.
I can’t think of a better way to end this OSDM masterpiece than by covering one of the legends of the era. The Troops of Doom cover by the legendary Sepultura is the chef’s kiss to this remarkable album. Lord Gryphus didn’t change the song to make it their own. That’s often a recipe for disaster. Instead they played the song as is, after all, the song needs no fixing, and added their own bloodthirsty approach. In what might be heavier than the original, Troops of Doom is a gross and malevolent rendition that would make Max and the boys drool themselves.
Lord Gryphus needs to be added to your must-listen list. This record offers everything we all loved about 90’s death metal. I’m a middle-aged, often snobby man when it comes to my metal. My father would often say his music can never be topped. I would often scoff at that thought, but he was passionate about it. Now I find myself saying the exact same thing; nothing can top my 90s extreme metal. I’ve grown over the years, as my thirst for new music is getting quenched. However, Lord Gryphus has that extra something that appeals to me. They honor those before them with their sound, but also pulverize those before them with that exact ferocious sound!
(4.5 / 5)
