Top 19 Best Bandcamp Free Downloads #20: Extreme-Metal Special – Amarok, Death by a Thousand Cuts, Ashes of Abaddon

Welcome to the 20th installment of The Bad Penny‘s Bandcamp Freebie series, in which we handpick our favorite free songs on the platform and dish them up for your consumption. Are we gonna get out of this thing alive, dear readers? Let’s not think of that, shall we, even though I just asked you.

Ladies and gentlemen, we entreat you with our latest batch of free music of the highest quality. (And the lowest price.) Not as many full-lengths time around as in recent editions past. But we think you’ll survive. All the titles featured here are free. And yes, you ARE welcome.

(Note: If you’re financially capable of supporting any of these artists and/or labels, please consider doing so.)

1. Amarok’s self-titled debut (and splits with Hell, Pyramido and Enth)

If you’re asking whether two songs qualify as an LP, you’re living in the fuckin’ past. Speaking of which, Amarok – the best black-metal band ever to come out of Chico, California (go ahead, try me) – joined forces about 15 years ago, and this release was their first. But after COVID and some other delays, they’re roaring back like lion kings and ready to rip your anus straight out of your rear end with Overcome, the title of which clearly refers to the challenges the quartet has faced. Amarok – not to be confused with Agalloch or AC/DC’s “For Those About to Rock” – rip their new record out of its sheath on September 25, and if you don’t pick it up, you’d better watch your back, because these no-nonsense dark lords will come after you. (PS: Amarok are playing with Hell on October 2 at Clock-Out Lounge in Seattle, so there’s a better chance than not that the bands will play the songs on their aforementioned split.)

2. Death by a Thousand Cuts‘ Mustache EP (and Espontaneo, Remoras, Warmth 3, Warmth 2, Warmth, Choir of Dead Whores (with), Live @ Best Western 7/28/06 and Death by a Thousand Cuts)

Chrome Peeler Records – based out of Niskayuna, New York – is a record label with a streak of generosity that only rivals its great taste in noise, doom and spoken word releases. One of their tentpole bands is Death by a Thousand Cuts, an experimental doom drone noise ambient occult metal power electronics torture band whose name was inspired by American Psycho author and provocateur Bret Easton Ellis. Among the litany of Death by a Thousand Cuts that Chrome Peeler is offering at a what-you-can-or-let’s-be-serious-what-you-feel-like-paying price point, we picked Mustache because it’s the most recent. Plus the band colorfully describes it as “damaged repetition impulsivity dronework dedicated to the stench of rotting flesh on Kensington Avenue.”

3. Ashes of Abaddon’s The Hellbringers, Chronicles of Suffering Vol. III: Disenchanted Congregation, Chronicles of Suffering Vol. II: Covenant Clandestine, Chronicles of Suffering Vol. I: Vengeful Divinations and The Infected

Death-obsessed thrash hardcore heathens Ashes of Abaddon are about to turn 20 years old, but as evidenced by their latest LP – The Hellbringers – they still carry enough fire in their bodies to give Carrie a run for her money. A mainstay in Boise’s cozy metal scene, the band often serves as an opening act for national bands that swing through the city. But they’re much more deserving than that, as you’ll discover if you pick up any of the five releases Ashes of Abaddon offer at a pay-what-you-want rate on their Bandcamp page. Whereas The Hellbringers is a tight, seizure-inducing blue streak that contains 12 songs lasting about 20 minutes, this writer recommends the band’s wicked ambitious Chronicles of Suffering trilogy, which doubles as both an excursion into introspection and an ambitious exploration into the metaphysical.

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If you’re still hungry for more free music, below are the previous installments of The Bad Penny‘s Bandcamp Freebies series. Beware that artists may have removed the “free download” option from some of their material since the publish of the corresponding Bandcamp Freebies installment.

This entry was posted on 09/12/2026 at 8:02 am and is filed under Interviews with tags Amarok, Ashes of Abaddon, Death by a Thousand Cuts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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