KREMATED
'Total Warfare'

You want a blitz? Look at world war two documentaries, however if you want a blitz-storm then get a load of historical Thrash Metal produced by London masters of grit, the quartet known as Kremated. Returning from the pits of the south bank, Kremated thrust forward their latest offering 'Total Warfare' in epic fashion, through a myriad of tempo-changing tracks and outrageous riffs, both together powerful enough to make an AK-47 look like a spent lump of corrugated metal. Moral is if you think the old styles of metal are dead, if you feel that the 'core' genres are the best style of metal ever, you would be mistaken, 'Total Warfare' delivers thrashed-up music along with Hardcore brutality and slick Crustpunk atmosphere, just make sure you turn the speakers up past 13 or else.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

Kannabinõid
'Kannabinõid'

Considering most of the Eastern European Metal scenes deal with mainly Doom and Black Metal, when the Stoner Doom Metal quartet Kannabinõid emerge with their self-titled debut EP, it is looked open as the turning point for the Estonian extreme metal scene, full of melancholic, darkening and disturbing atmosphere, played on by the elegance of the Estonian language and the slow, thick sound of the guitar strings being plucked in a sorrowful way that leaves a bitter and cold emotion in the ears of whomsoever comes across this cleverly produced work of art, so much so irrespective of the language difficulties, here the music does the inevitable talking.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

DARK HORIZON
'Diabolic Agreement'

Two words: very disappointing. This is the best way without being crude upon summing up the debut album by Dark Horizon, their album 'Diabolic Agreement' delivers great music in the style of Melodic Black / Death Metal and at a precise tone too, but the vocals somehow seem to have gotten lost somewhere or at least practically are hard to understand, if there is anything else positive to take from this release is that it would pose well as an instrumental, but if the band are to exceed expectations and deliver a sound that critics and labels will pay more attention to, then the vocals need to keep a gear, there is great potential, just not as evident as it should be.

[4.5] RHYS STEVENSON

MYRA
'The Venom It Drips'
EUROPEAN LABEL

Falling back four years to the spark of Myra's career and you'll find their debut album 'The Venom It Drips', much is different here to their later album 'Godspeed', but the band still employs that phenomenal sound they coalesce, putting together lashes of Melodic Death Metal with Metalcore and Thrash Metal, the German quintet are a force waiting to take Europe by storm. With each song there is an explosion of technically crafted metal music and an atmosphere that would make any Bundesliga match sound and feel like a kindergarten, the album is that powerful. From the lush sounds of 'Doomed from the outset' which features female vocals to the delicate instrumental 'The Venom Part I', Myra prove that they are the new face of German Metal.

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

GHOST TRAIL
'Orkestergrav'

It is a truthful fact that Norwegians are very good at producing grim Black Metal and Ghost Trail are no exception, putting together the cold and grave sounds of their True Norwegian Black Metal heritage with the progressive elements found in bands like Ihsahn, Enslaved and Emporer, the Norwegian trio deliver a promising start to their career and are sure to continue to create even darker music. As for their demo 'Orkestergrav', it is sure to please fans of the Progressive Black Metal style, with it's slow and long elements and formidable shrieking, it is a sound of death.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

CRIMSON SHADOWS
'Glory On The Battlefield'

From time to time Canada delivers a band that whilst unsigned, deserves international attention and proves themselves to be the next big act, this time that falls upon Ontario quintet Crimson Shadows as they smash the sound barrier with their emphatic debut album 'Glory On The Battlefield', mixing together the guttural vibrant sounds of Melodic Death Metal with the heavenly and majestic elements of Power Metal to deliver what could be perceived as Canadian Album of the year. 'Glory On The Battlefield' takes the listener on a forty-six minute journey through the fields of Canada to places as high as the Rockies and as low as the mountain bears riding bareback through the cities, to put it short, expect this band to go far as they prepare for 'Glory On The Battlefield'. Fans of 3 Inches of Blood, Blackguard and Unleash The Archers will love this album to bits.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

WEEPING SILENCE
'For The Unsung'
RAVENHEART MUSIC

Malta's most prolific Metal band Weeping Silence return for a third time to deliver their sensational sound of Gothic-infused Doom Metal in emphatic fashion, the septet deliver another opus in what can be perceived as their greatest work to date. Mixing delicate female vocals with the harshness of the brutal male vocals spurted out here and together wrapped in music so atmospherically dynamic, it shook the very foundations of this small European island nation. For a Gothic Doom Metal band, they know how to make the balance just right so it doesn't place the listener in suicidal despair, instead what the Maltese septet have done is bring to the table another slice of fruity cake, one that any metal fan would savor and especially is delivered in honor 'For The Unsung' heroes that defended Malta during WW2, that is how strong this album and indeed this band are.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

FIRES OF TARTARUS
'Fires Of Tartarus'

Berkshire of late seems to be producing metal bands by the truckload and all sound out of this world, so when the new kids on the block Fires Of Tartarus released their debut s/t EP this year, the expectations were running high, by god did we not see this coming. Slamming, face-smashing Death Metal is unleashed to pummel the streets into total disrepair, wielding together killer riffs and earthquake-like drumming precision amongst sickening vocals and an atmosphere to make any hardnut become equated to a ballerina, 'Fires Of Tartarus' smacks out five tracks of insane music and yet leaves the listener begging for more, 'Fires Of Tartarus' is for fans of literally pure cold-blooded Death Metal. If this lot don't get signed in the next two or three years, I'll eat my speakers.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

XENOSIS
'Haunted Skies'

Whilst conventionally unconvincing as a perfect debut album, Xenosis' 'Haunted Skies' meets the expectations of what they claim to play, Progressive Death Metal. However for the American quintet the obvious lack of little timing here and there leaves some songs without any meaning or reason for purpose other than that to drag the entire album out of it's overall perception. Tracks like 'The Contactee' deliver what one was expecting, as for the first two tracks, skip them. However the real fudge-packer that will entice everyone is 'The Willows of the Brook surround us' with it's technically productive riffs and brutalizing drumming and vocal capabilities, overall the album has gems here and there, but there are a few areas to clean up on for number two.

[6.5] RHYS STEVENSON

BAAL ZE UB
'...From The Cave Of The Forgotten'

Enter Baal Ze Ub with their debut full-length album '...From The Cave Of The Forgotten' and the new sound in the German Metal scene. Mixing traditional Blackened Thrash Metal with the darkness and grim atmosphere of war that plagued Europe for years, '...From The Cave Of The Forgotten' delivers fast and furious brutality in a barrage of blastbeats, death-defying riffs and insane shrieking vocals. Without dubbing them 'Black War Metal' would be a little of an understatement, there is evident parts of the album that relate to war and the air raid siren at the start is the first part of this extreme release. Emerging out of the darkness '...From The Cave Of The Forgotten' comes a quintet with enough cold bitterness to freeze your nipples off.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

ASCENDED DEAD
'Ascended Dead (Demo I)'

You cannot help but to think that the debut demo by Californian Death Metallers Ascended Dead was intended for raw publication only, even though released on a tape and at large deliver so-low produced music that it would take the 2020 version of the Dolby Digital System to even register the output at level 2 on the dial. Sure the release is not a total silent production, but as for its overall perception there is much more to be done before the band embark on trying to deliver their music to the masses. After all this is a sound that's meant to be depressive, occult-loaded and darkening, instead it may as well be dubbed 'bizarre'

[3] RHYS STEVENSON

MARTYRD
'The Mortal Coil'

As bright as that classic New York sunrise, Thrash maniacs Martyrd make their welcomed return to deliver 'The Mortal Coil', a futile collection of modernised Thrash Metal tracks, designed to outwit the preconceived ideas the artwork delivers. Capturing influential essences from the likes of Dream Theater, Symphony X, Testament and Metallica, Martyrd are setting themselves up to become the next band to emerge from the metropolis of American Thrash Metal. With their infectious riffs shredding through the human senses like a pack of wolves on their midnight hunt and the drums providing a solid base whilst the vocals power the album forward into a sense of total destruction, the next stop is going to be an interesting one, 'The Mortal Coil' could very well be the album that see's them get a record deal.

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

WANTED INC.
'Demons We Created'

Teutonic Thrash Metal quartet make their second album sound sweet, they forget to put the cherry on the cake, that said 'Demons We Created' qualifies as a break-neck release. From start to finish, the five-piece blast holes in the silence around with the echoing sounds of the guitars, riffing up like a chainsaw about to desecrate the Bavarian forests whilst the vocals and drums deliver a sound only a V12 could equate to. This is an album full of everything, full of angst, breakdowns, quirky riffs and pure German engineering; sure it's nothing on the scale of Holy Moses, but it will please fans of Evile, Blood Tsunami and Testament. As for Wanted Inc. they could be the band Germany has been waiting for, a breath of fresh air.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

BLACK HAMMER
'Darker Days Will Come'
FORGOTTEN WISDOM PRODS.

2012 sees the premier EP release of French one-man project Black Hammer, 'Darker Days Will Come' explodes and ignites with the infinite dark sound of classic Blackened Thrash Metal produced by the musical magician known as The Iron Messiah. The music itself is raw and gruesome, just the way its meant to be, the vocals however are raspy and chilling, thus bringing into the affray an abysmal outburst of blackened horror, so evil it would make the French revolution look like a tea party. 'Darker Days Will Come' is designed for fans of Dissimulation, Aura Noir and Toxic Holocaust, even so 'Darker Days Will Come' and that's a fact.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

DEUS IGNOTUS
'Christmation'
FORGOTTEN WISDOM PRODS.

Well apparently it seems that due to the financial situation in Greece that the metal scene is getting darker, as seen by the recent release by Black Metal duo Deus Ignotus, their debut album 'Christmation' has what Black Metal already is, fast drumming, sensational blastbeats and evil vocals, so there is really nothing new here at all, still it cannot be knocked as not a good release, it is brimming with technical playing at every minute and is sure to please many amongst the Black Metal subgenre, as for the band this is the beginning of something epic, something more epic than Mayhem.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

ANWYNN
'Forbidden Songs'
M & O MUSIC

Now this is the sort of band to uplift the Belgian Metal scene, mixing together a myriad of metal styles to construct what we perceive as 'Angelic Heavy Metal', their debut album 'Forbidden Songs' takes pinches from Death Metal, Melodic and Symphonic Metal, Progressive Metal and Gothic Metal, so there is something for everyone, but don't let the soft genres fool you, the Death Metal vocals are as brutal as a warm pint of Leffe. 'Forbidden Songs' delivers an onslaught of majestic music, brilliantly executed vocals and delinquent melodies, this is the album to set this lot off on a storm across Europe, the time has come, Anwynn are set to take the Belgian Metal scene to new heights. 'Forbidden Songs' is an album which fans of Izegrim, Arcane Grail and Diabulus In Musica will like.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

ACYL
'Algebra'
M & O Music

Mixing traditional Algerian and North African / Arabian sounds with the Progressive Metal sounds of the French metal scene is dual-nationality quartet Acyl with their genius debut album 'Algebra'. Authentic in every way, 'Algebra' provides listeners with a taste for original Arabian sounds and brings the atmosphere of being in the sands to life. With a percussive beat giving a dance feel and the vocals delivering that harsh and ambient feel to the music, all in all resulting in a release that has enough originality in it to be called innovative. 'Algebra' is a release that will please fans of Myrath, Orphaned Land and Anagesia.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

FENRIR
'Echoes Of The Wolf'

From time to time you can be assured of specialist metal bands to arise from the depths of the abyss, so when Fenrir appear on the radar with their debut album 'Echoes Of The Wolf', you get the instantaneous pre-conceived idea its going to be a Folk Metal album, quite the contrary, in fact to be specific with the violin driving the melodies, the vocals providing heavenly choruses and the basic foundation of a metal band providing a solid backbone to the band, this is clearly the best Celtic Metal band France has ever produced. Laden with joy, adventures and sensational musicianship, the sextet from Nancy conduct a formula that any ancient druid would be baffled by, dragging the listener into the ancient times of Gaul and enriching their senses with what can be claimed as French Metal album of the year.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

NAHUM
'The Gates Are Open'

It has to be said that Nahum's debut album 'The Gates Are Open' lacks any real vibrancy, sure the Melodic Death Metal / Thrash Metal combo plays well, but the overall feeling is that the vocals don't change level and so thus leave it with a set method of performance, however the music does offer some unique sound shifts especially on 'Equal', but for the Czech quartet the album in question is not a be all end all, for it does have mind-blowing drumming and heart-breaking riffs, so there are at times good and bad points, but the overall reception is a fairly positive one. It has sounds for every sort of metal fan, 'The Gates Are Open' and Nahum is 'nearly' ready to slaughter Europe.

[6] RHYS STEVENSON