Best Brutal

A sprawling, epic Western that redefined the genre. *Blood Meridian* follows the journey of a young man, Tim, as he joins a gang of scalp hunters in the American West, led by the enigmatic and terrifying Judge Holden. McCarthys masterful prose and unflinching depiction of violence and human depravit...

Guts, a man who will one day be known as the Black Swordsman, is a young traveling mercenary characterized by the large greatsword he carries. He accepts jobs that offer the most money, but he never stays with one group for long—until he encounters the Band of the Falcon. Ambushed after completing a...

Quake is a 1996 first-person shooter developed by id Software. It features a plot involving teleportation experiments leading to an invasion by the “Quake” force, with players tasked to destroy the source of this hostile presence across diverse environments including military bases and gothic settin...

Relentless Mutation is the third studio album by the Canadian technical death metal band Archspire, released in 2017 through Season of Mist. The album is distinguished by its extreme instrumental speed, complex rhythmic structures, and the rapid-fire, percussive vocal delivery of singer Oli Peters....

Aguirre, the Wrath of God depicts a Spanish expedition led by conquistador Lope de Aguirre down the Amazon River. The group’s objective was to locate El Dorado, a legendary city of gold, resulting in escalating violence and madness. The film is an international production involving West Germany, Mex...

Bleed the Future is the fourth studio album by Canadian technical death metal band Archspire, released on October 29, 2021, through Season of Mist records. The album features the band's characteristic high-speed guitar work, complex time signatures, and rapid-fire vocal delivery. It received the 202...

Doom 2016 revitalized the franchise for a modern audience. It perfected the 'push-forward' combat style, where players are rewarded for moving toward enemies rather than away from them. Its atmosphere is heavy and oppressive, featuring incredible level design and a satisfying weight to its weaponry....

The Exorcist is a 1973 horror film depicting the terrifying struggle to liberate a teenager from demonic influence. Its realistic portrayal of possession and intense psychological drama made it a landmark cinematic experience. The movie explores themes of faith, doubt, and suffering, captivating au...

Platoon is an American epic film set during the Vietnam War, directed by Oliver Stone. The story centers on a U.S. Army volunteer within a South Vietnamese platoon, alongside his superiors who grapple with ethical concerns regarding their actions and the conflict. It marks the first installment in a...

God of War III is an action-adventure game set in ancient Greece, following Kratos’s quest for vengeance after discovering his father was Zeus. The player controls Kratos as he battles mythological creatures and deities, seeking Pandora to ultimately confront Zeus and end the Olympian conflict. Guid...

Cryptopsy’s *None So Vile* is a seminal 1996 death metal album from Canada that significantly influenced the development of technical death metal. Known for its intensely brutal instrumentation and complex song structures, it showcased a level of precision and aggression rarely heard in extreme meta...

Doom II is a groundbreaking 1994 first-person shooter developed by id Software. It established a new standard for action games with its intense, brutal gameplay and atmospheric horror elements set within a science fiction narrative of Hell on Earth. Originally released for MS-DOS and subsequently po...

Doom Eternal builds upon the foundation of its predecessor, delivering a relentlessly fast-paced and brutal first-person shooter experience. The game emphasizes aggressive combat, requiring players to constantly move and utilize a wide array of weaponry and abilities to overcome hordes of demons. T...

This Coen Brothers masterpiece captures the terrifying, unstoppable nature of modern violence. Following a drug deal gone wrong, the film tracks the fallout through a desolate Texas landscape. Its less about the action and more about the creeping dreadthe sense that a brutal, indifferent force is sw...

Mortal Kombat II is a 1993 fighting game released by Midway for arcades. It was subsequently adapted for numerous home computer and console platforms through development by Probe Software and Sculptured Software. The game’s distribution was handled by Acclaim Entertainment, spanning systems like the...

Darkness Descends is the second studio album by Los Angeles thrash metal band Dark Angel, released in 1986. It features drummer Gene Hoglan and is characterized by sustained speed, dense rhythm-guitar work, forceful drumming, and an unusually aggressive production for its period. The record includes...

The Thin Red Line depicts a fictionalized account of the Battle of Mount Austen during the Guadalcanal campaign. It focuses on U.S. soldiers, specifically C Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, as they experience combat. The film draws its title from Rudyard Kipling’s poem referencing Bri...

Gareth Evans' 'The Raid: Redemption' revitalized the martial arts genre with its brutal, relentlessly paced action and innovative use of Silat, an Indonesian martial art. The films visceral fight choreography, claustrophobic setting, and gritty realism create an intensely thrilling and unforgettable...

Hotline Miami is a 1989 Miami-based top-down shooter where an unnamed protagonist systematically eliminates members of the Russian mafia. Players utilize animal masks to gain unique combat abilities, progressing through levels marked by escalating violence and a descent into psychological distress....

The Raid depicts a unit of Indonesian police tasked with infiltrating a Jakarta apartment building controlled by a drug trafficker. Following an initial raid, the squad becomes trapped and engages in intense combat against a surrounding group of armed criminals within the multi-story structure. The...

Taboo is a historical drama television series set in 1814 England. The story follows James Delaney, an exiled American, as he attempts to establish an empire on his family’s forfeited Scottish estate. Known for its brutal depiction of power struggles and exploration of themes like colonialism and re...

I Saw the Devil is a 2010 South Korean thriller centering on an intelligence operative’s pursuit of retribution following the murder of his bride at the hands of a prolific serial killer. The film depicts a complex and escalating narrative involving an agent consumed by vengeance against a dangerous...

Blood is a first-person shooter developed for the Build engine, notable for its intensely brutal combat and atmospheric horror themes. Released in shareware format in 1997, it offers a visceral military experience set within the United States. The game appeals to players interested in classic FPS ga...

Killzone 2 is a first-person shooter set in a brutal science fiction conflict between the Alliance and the Vekta across a remote European moon. Developed by Guerrilla Games, it’s notable for its detailed graphics and immersive military simulation within the established Killzone universe. The game ap...

God of War: Ghost of Sparta is a 2010 action-adventure game for the PSP. The title follows Kratos as he investigates his past in ancient Greece, seeking vengeance against those who wronged him. He confronts his brother, Deimos, and ultimately battles the God of Death, Thanatos, to rescue Deimos from...

Dark Souls II offers a unique experience with its heavy emphasis on RPG mechanics and stamina management. It features a massive world, complex character builds, and some of the most diverse enemy types in the series. While it lacks the polish of DS3, it provides a deeper sense of progression for pla...

Doom: The Dark Ages is a first-person shooter from id Software set in an alternate United States during the 2020s. It revisits the Doom Slayer’s story decades prior, portraying humanity's desperate resistance against overwhelming demonic incursions. This game appeals to fans of action-horror and bru...

Gorguts’ *The Erosion of Sanity* (1993) is a seminal Canadian death metal album recognized for its exceptionally intricate arrangements and demanding musicianship. It showcases a significant step forward in technical death metal, establishing Gorguts as innovators within the genre. The album appeals...

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is a tactical shooter developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. Gameplay involves players engaging in cooperative scenarios focused on objectives like hostage rescue or bomb defusal. The game incorporates significant environmental destruction and offers b...