Board short-wearing German Brutal Surf/Death Metal maniacs Stillbirth are back with their ninth full-length, the nine-track, thirty-five-minute dystopian concept album, Survival Protocol. This is an album that is brutal and filthy enough to sear the flesh from your face, but also so engaging that you just cannot stop listening and raising a smile from the tongue-in-cheek humour that also oozes from this offering.
Stillbirth – Survival Protocol
Release Date: 31 October 2025
Words: Jools Green
Brutal it might be, but Survival Protocol is also musically superb, with Stillbirth continuing to build on their past achievements. It is an offering that is soundwise, as refined as it is devastating, melding Death Metal, Grindcore, Deathcore, Slam Stoner, and even a touch of blues rock, unleashing waves of filthy grooves, blast beats alongside soaring leadwork and more.
This time, the concept is that of invaders that crash on an alien planet, slaughter the inhabitants and brutally take over, opening with an ominous atmospheric sound bite as the crew loses control of their ship and they brace for impact in Existence Erased.
This initially suggests that it is the crew’s demise that is imminent. Pummelling drum rhythms build on the suspense, then the truth gradually becomes apparent as the lyrics kick in and something completely different is suggested.
The crew aren ot erased, at least not all of them, but the planet’s inhabitants are set to be. Musically, it is a brutal and powerful crushing beast of a track with intense riffs, blasting and pummelling drum work and brutal and commanding vocals.
Then, and I love this, there is a brief quirky interlude before the peace is broken with a gut-wrenching growl and the pace rebuilds, intensifying to the previous crushing levels. At the same time, there is that wonderfully quirky, groovy Stillbirth signature edge to the sound that makes it so engaging. There is a short soaring swathe of leadwork towards the close, which builds on the texture further, making it a superb attention-grabbing opener.
Next, beginning with a cinematic opener, Trapped In Darkness, we find the crew in the crashed vessel, as the title suggests, trapped in the darkness of a now-defunct spacecraft. Blasting drums and roaring vocals dial up the brutality in an instant. I love the sharp, dark melody that courses beneath, intensifying the atmosphere.
Midway, the pace drops briefly, dramatically, and simultaneously intensifying the sound as sharp and occasionally discordant riffs punch through, and towards the close, there is another great swathe of leadwork, which contrasts so well against the sharp riffs and brutal vocals.
There was a hint of this in the opening piece, but the next track, Throne Of Bones, sees the “triumphant return of Stillbirth’s infamous cowbell” in abundance. And hey, who does not love a bit of cowbell?
After a drum intro, it is there in all its “bovine glory”, cruising between the drum rhythms and popping cheerfully amidst the brutal growls. Beyond the cowbell, it is a fascinating piece which sees the new inhabitants of the planet brutally enforcing their superiority one territory at a time as they aim to write a new history for the planet.
In keeping, it is a brutal piece, with powerfully punchy rhythms melding with groovier elements. Alongside the brutal Death Metal/Slam core, you get otherworldly, eerie guitar sounds and a burst of bluesy closing leadwork. What more could you ask for?
The onslaught continues with Apex Predator. Rapid, complex and chaotic, the first half burst of triumphant leadwork heralds a brief crushing drop in pace before resuming the previous trajectory, where the riffs are razor sharp and the vocals brutal and searing.
Baptized In Blood sees the endless war becoming a brutal way of life, no surrender accepted, just blood and death. Musically, a seriously clever piece, there is some seemingly disparate fusion here. Clean rhythms punctuated with blasts rip through, which then go on to develop the melody and then tear it apart again at the beginning and again at the end, making the track stand out as something both quirky and unique.
There is also a pronounced technical edge to the guitarwork, too, especially the superb closing. Firstly, tech-tinted, then bluesy lead work, which adds extra texture to yet another very full, complex and hugely engaging piece.
Cult Of The Green is, to the greater part, a gut-wrenching plodder of a track that utterly crushes and annihilates. I like how, because it’s slightly less complex than previous pieces, there is a greater focus on Lukas’s rather impressive vocal capabilities.
The next piece, Sacrificial Slaughter, the band explains, “marks the next step in our journey through the Survival Protocol story, diving deep into the heart of ritualistic violence on an alien planet. After Baptized In Blood, this is where things get even darker and trust us, it’s only getting more intense from here.”
Lyrically describing how in this new realm they have descended into savagery, even killing their own, “We embrace the beast. Humanity now deceased. We embrace the cult. Our blood is spilled in rituals.”
Soundwise, it ebbs and builds in waves of frenzy and madness, but never fails to be anything other than a crushing beast of a track, ebbing more so in the last minute to the echo of the line “No turning back,” as maybe their beast is temporarily satiated? A brutally powerful, thought-provoking piece.
The penultimate piece is the title track, The Survival Protocol, where sharp riffs, pounding drums, and a rapid vocal delivery that, combined, also harbours a subtle melodic undercurrent whilst still keeping things straightforward. The powerful, dramatic midpoint and second half breakdowns add to that straightforward but brutal quality.
Finally, the longest piece, the final track Kill To Rule, which, as the title suggests, the crux of the new hierarchical situation is explained. Reflective to open, the pace builds gradually in waves alongside the brutal vocals, culminating in one final burst of blues-rich lead work, then fading out with more reflective guitar work.
I absolutely love the cover art. It is like a dystopian, “green-infused” take on a Baker Gurvitz Army cover, and I am showing my age here. The winning feature for me is the inclusion of the infamous Smudge the Cat, the white cat who rose to fame online for appearing in a photograph seated in front of a salad plate, famed in a multitude of memes. But here, Smudge is smeared in blood, amid a pile of dismembered corpses. So much is suggested by that small image.
A gripping listen end to end, The Survival Protocol will be released on 31 October 2025 via Reigning Phoenix Music. Available as a CD, digipak CD and limited-edition vinyl in a choice of four colours, you can find out much more at linktr.ee/Stillbirth.
