apanthropy

Tithe
Communion in Anguish
Profound Lore Records
To Be Released: 9/19/25

Rating: 87/100

“Communion in Anguish is audio domestic violence. Everything about this record is mean. The delivery, the tone, the compositions, the riff crafting, the trade-off vocals, literally every aspect of this album is bitter and malicious. There are no soft spots, no heavy use of melodicism, no extended breaks or progressive audial meandering. This is a straightforward strike, like a screwdriver to the stomach, this record, as a whole, is a deliberate, violent thrust, driven by a hand propelled by a complete pitch-black rage.“

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1 – Nostrum
2 – At the Altar of Starving Children
3 – Ostiary
4 – The Fruits of Spiritual Apartheid
5 – Infected Blood
6 – Shallow Grave of Karmic Retribution
7 – Burn the Throne of God
–

Tithe are a Portland, Oregon-based dissonant death metal trio, active since 2017, with an EP and two full-lengths to their name. Part of the currently red-hot west coast death metal scene, Tithe strike once again in 2025 with their third and newest full-length Communion in Anguish, due out September 19th through Profound Lore Records. Comprised of seven new tracks at 35 minutes in length, Tithe produce a scathing blaze of ripping death metal, crushing tonality, and a pure, spiteful delivery.

Communion in Anguish is audio domestic violence. Everything about this record is mean. The delivery, the tone, the compositions, the riff crafting, the trade-off vocals, literally every aspect of this album is bitter and malicious. There are no soft spots, no heavy use of melodicism, no extended breaks or progressive audial meandering. This is a straightforward strike, like a screwdriver to the stomach, this record, as a whole, is a deliberate, violent thrust, driven by a hand propelled by a complete pitch-black rage.

‘Nostrum’ opens the album with a strike of deep, surging guitars and a ripping battery of blasting and double bass. Guttural roars trumpet and spit forth biting commentary. Constant shifts in musical phrases create a living labyrinth of crushing tonality, battering the listener with constant, ever-changing sequences of unresolved tension. Trade-off vocals of two different unique styles collide with one another and help to create a violent and feral atmosphere.

The first impact of the song reveals the excellent audio properties of the production and mix on Communion in Anguish. A deep, bass-heavy guitar signal that sounds absolutely monstrous during moments of palm-muted chord progressions melds with nuclear sub-bass and biting, mid-register percussion that features subtle cymbals and a punchy bass drum tone. Vocals are frontal but mixed well, volume-wise, they fall in line perfectly and the guttural style execution comes out sounding completely inhuman and inhumane.

The second track, ‘At the Altar of Starving Children,’ is a long-form approach to what ‘Nostrum’ establishes in terms of album character. The riff strike is constant and non-stop, dissonant, menacing, and sonically violent. Odd musical phrases mix with biting vocal commentary, creating something that feels both uncomfortably alien and unnervingly real. The radiance of hate, both in musicality and vocals, is palpable.

Tracks such as ‘The Fruits of Spiritual Apartheid’ and ‘Infected Blood’ are shorter, visceral bursts of sonic information. A manic delivery of riffs, a whirlwind of vocals, and percussion trench warfare. Each an idea of abstract violence, a multitude of hands greedily reaching for a strangulation grip, grinding down-turned ferocity churns like the angry sea in the dead of night. The atmosphere is toxic and suffocating. The relentlessness of Communion in Anguish should be evident by this point.

The longest track on the album is the nearly 8 minute long ‘Shallow Grave of Karmic Retribution.’ Not only is Tithe capable of writing chaotic shorter bursts of dissonant, grinding death metal, but their songwriting prowess and stamina as physical musicians are seeing them push near the ten-minute mark in terms of violent musical expression. Not many bands venture into that territory often.

The full engulfing of musical conflagration rises, peaks, and terminates on ‘Burn the Throne of God,’ a faster, blasting number that sees machine-gun drumming merge with long-form dissonant riffing. Perhaps the tonality of the guitars is best represented here, as it exhibits a bit more consistency in riff structure and explores a much broader range in terms of note selection.

Communion in Anguish shows Tithe crawling towards their wretched peak, delivering one of the stronger death metal albums of the summer. The biting commentary and intelligent lyrical execution adds depth of character lacking in a lot of modern bands. The tonality is completely strangulating and brutal, powering moments of pure headbanging fury and a constant pulse of aggressive riffing. The song structuring shows a band that is locked in and in sync as a total unit of musicians. The death metal delivered here is a hellish amalgamation of audio signals, knotted together, creating a tense, overbearing musical experience. Fans of dissonant, grinding, high-tempo death metal will want to seek this one out upon release.

Label: Profound Lore Records
Band: Tithe

AJK