____暗月冥 (Moonless Acheron)
暗月冥 (Moonless Acheron)
COLD WOODS PRODS

The debut album from Chinese Thrash maniacs Moonless Acheron is one full of negative compromise and epic riffs, vocals and mind-blowing composure. Not unlike Evile or Testament, Moonless Acheron emerge with their debut self-titled album with guitars blazing hot from the epic riffs produced, drums demolished and the vocals so heavy and brutal, the great wall of china has started to fall down. Mixing fast flowing and intricate musicianship with the harsh brutality of Extreme Chinese Metal, this is an album worthy of international exposure and is sure to garner attention from major magazines both in China and Europe.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

3, 14...
'Похороны Лучшего Друга (Funerals Of Best Friends)'

Returning back with their third album in their ten year career, Azerbaijani Melodic Doomsters 3, 14... bring more of their traditional music influences and the Russian language to produce a truly unique sound of middle eastern and dark music. From the first to the last second across the two disks, the band takes the listener on a winding journey through the black nights and cultural feel of their native homeland. Following up from their second serving back in 2010, the band has come a long way and have indeed improved themselves dramatically. Drawing influences from My Dying Bride and Tiamat, producing a mesmerising release and vastly becoming the most successful metal band in Azerbaijan, 3, 14... are flying the flag for the Azerbaijan Metal scene and are sure to take on Europe like a wildfire.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

WINTER'S VEIL
'The Storm Awakens'

There's a bitter wind blowing through the streets of London and it isn't pleasant either, it's the fast-flowing soundwaves of Winter's Veil and their bitter atmospherically-charged debut album 'The Storm Awakens'. Fuelled with males vocals in the style of Bruce Dickinson, female vocals in the style of orchestral gothic metal (a lower version of Within Temptation) and musically similar to that of Pythia and Lacuna Coil, the quartet from London are sure to set sights on breaking through the underground scene and into the realms of the well-known bands. Bringing with this release, they deliver a harmonious and illustrious sound of frost-bitten Power Metal and the delicacies that come within the darkness of Gothic Metal and this album is without a doubt going to attract both fans and media alike, as well as potentially a record label, this is a band to watch.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

SAVAGE
'Sons Of Malice'
SANCTUARY

Having been through the very birth of the sound we know as Heavy Metal back in the 1970's, having a ten year hiatus from 2002 till 2012 and now delivering their sixth overall album, it is no wonder why Savage should be regarded as a gem, a band that has seen it all. Now emerging with their latest album 'Sons Of Malice', the NWOBHM sons of Mansfield deliver a mind-blowing composition of nitty-gritty Hard Rock and wetty-sweaty Heavy Metal as they demolish all previous releases in an hour-long epic. Having a star-studded career is not complete without the classics being released and this is sure to go down as one. Full-on heavy metal riffing, rock 'n' roll attitude and a talent for producing what is regarded as being in the league of classic British Heavy Metal. 'Sons Of Malice' is for fans of Iron Maiden, AC/DC and classic metal and rock, but what makes the new line-up extra-special is three members are family and the drummer is also family.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

TRI MEBIUS
'Blind Materials / Promised Sense'
RE-STROPHE

2011 saw the debut album from Japanese Melodic Heavy Metallers Tri Mebius come to life, their release 'Blind Material' takes the very essence of the Japanese language and moulds it with melodies and heavy brutality far beyond imaginable, however the only slight drawback is the drumming beyond too repetitious. The guitars however deal absolute peril and riff it out beyond level 13 whilst the vocals led by Nao deliver a lively feel to the release, almost similar to that of L'Arc En Ciel. For the then quintet from Osaka this is a decent enough release and set the ball in motion for them to become Japan's latest product. 'Blind Material' is for fans of Kobra & The Lotus and Sister Sin.

Moving into 2012 and the now Japanese quartet (guitarist had left in Dec 2011) make a greater effort on their single 'Promised Sense'. This time round it is far more livelier and more precise. With two songs and instrumental to keep the listener occupied, the major difference is that the music is far more powerful, the drums have greater percussion and the vocals deliver that more epic feeling. This is the sound that Tri Mebius should stick to as it works like duck to water. With this effort it is clear to see that Tri Mebius will become a well known band in Japan and hopefully Eastern Asia, but with this effort it is more than likely that they could break even further. With both songs deliviring a very upbeat atmosphere and musical deliverance, it will be hard to find a band to replace them.

[7] + [8] RHYS STEVENSON

BOW PROMETHEUS
'Treachery'
SWIMMING WITH SHARKS

Deathcore, it's a genre that has awashed the Metal music scene since its birth with tons of bands who strangely sound the same, but when bands like Bow Prometheus escape the yellow brick road, things can turn right nasty, nasty in that Deathcore has a new sound, Symphonic Deathcore. Enter the fourteen-legged machine Bow Prometheus, fusing together electronic symphonies with the harsh brutality of Deathcore smackdowns, this Texas masterpiece is sure not to disappoint in times to com and especially with their debut EP 'Treachery' now out, the storm has well and truly formed and is ready for impact, taking cover is very much advised.

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

RESURRECTION OF THE GODS 3
COMPILATION
MORT PRODUCTIONS

If there is one thing about compilations it's that they bring a number of bands onto one CD and exposes them in the best possible manner and so when Chinese Metal label Mort Productions devised a series known as the 'Resurrection Of The Gods', this was to be an absolute onslaught of Chinese Metal. Here we have the third installment in the series, released in 2005 and featuring eleven bands on it from a wide range of sub-genres. This compilation is an essential release for anyone who is getting into metal bands from the Asian countries and especially China. Featuring bands such as Cut At Waist from Xi'anwho play a combination of Death Metal and Grindcore, Falling who hail from Hangzhou and play a mix of Gothic Metal and Black Metal to bands like The Last Successor who originate from Beijing and play an intricate style of Progressive metal with Power Metal added in, and bands like Wrath of Desport who perform straight edge Black Metal. The fact remains on this compilation there is something for everyone and whether the listener likes it or not, Chinese Metal is going to get even heavier as years go on.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

RESURRECTION OF THE GODS 5
COMPILATION
MORT PRODUCTIONS

Switching the attention from the third compilation to the fifth compilation, here we have the resurrection of the gods number five, released in 2008 and featuring twelve bands on it from a wide range of sub-genres. This compilation is an essential release for anyone who is getting into metal bands from the Asian countries and especially China. Featuring bands such as Narakam from Beijing who play straight-edge, no-nonsense Death Metal, Frosty Eve who hail from Beijing and play Melodic Death Metal, to bands like Frozen Cross who originate from Beijing and play a style of Power Metal with a ton of Melodic Metal on the side, but with female vocals in the sound and style of Within Temptation, and bands like Raging Mob who hail from Beijing and create in-your-face Thrash Metal. The fact remains that just like its previous versions, this compilation has something for everyone and whether the listener likes it or not, Chinese Metal has just got one whole level heavier.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

RESURRECTION OF THE GODS 7
COMPILATION
MORT PRODUCTIONS

Switching the attention from the fifth compilation to the seventh compilation, here we have the resurrection of the gods number seven, released in 2011 and featuring eleven bands on it from a wide range of sub-genres. This compilation is an essential release for anyone who is getting into metal bands from the Asian countries and especially China. Featuring bands such as Why Lazy from Henan _who play ballsy, gut-rot Metalcore, Skeletal Augury who hail from Beijing and play Melodic Death Metal, to bands like Frozen Cross who originate from Beijing and play a style of Power Metal with a ton of Melodic Metal on the side, but with female vocals in the sound and style of Within Temptation, and bands like Raging Mob who hail from Beijing and create in-your-face Thrash Metal. The fact remains that just like its previous versions, this compilation has something for everyone and whether the listener likes it or not, Chinese Metal has just got one whole level heavier.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

_CHINA RUNS BLOOD
COMPILATION
MORT PRODUCTIONS

Apart from the Resurrection of The Gods series that Mort Productions has done, the other cleverly done compilation is the 'China Runs Blood' compilation, this features more extreme metal bands. Covering all of the more vile genres from Death Metal to Goregrind and from Brutal Death Metal to Grindcore, listener's best avoid eating before listening to this release. Chock full of the most gruesome bands China has to offer and features three quarters of an hours-worth of pure solid, unrelenting and disturbing riffs, blastbeats and gut-rotting vocals. The fact now remains that this compilation has something for everyone who is a fan of Extreme metal and whether the listener likes it or not, Chinese Metal has just got even more disturbing.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

FROSTY EVE
'垂死的梦境 (Dying Dreamland)'
MORT PRODUCTIONS

2007 saw a new force rise in the depths of Beijing, China. That force was instantly named the Frosty Eve and took with it six musicians to create a truly sensational take on Melodic Death Metal. The debut EP '垂死的梦境 (Dying Dreamland)' features the sextet sing in their native Chinese but provide music similar to that of Wintersun. Harmoniously delivering cold and bitter winds from the keyboard and rough, gritty punches from the drums and guitars, it was only meant to be topped off by some of the harshest vocals ever heard in metal music history. No doubt about it, Frosty Eve are one heck of a damn good Melodic Death Metal band and are sure to lead the Chinese Metal scene onto further achievements.

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

FEARLESS
'Lord Of Twilight'
MORT PRODUCTIONS

Smashing their way onto the scene is Chinese Melodic Death Metal outfit Fearless and their debut EP 'Lord Of Twilight' which uniquely incorporates traditional Chinese sounds with the rough sound of Metal to create something Oriental and something distinct. The quartet hailing from Shanghai deliver a mixed blend of Chinese oriental sounds on the keyboard with the Melodic Death Metal sound from which bands like Dark Salvation and Sight Of Emptiness can be compared too, but even so the fact remains that this is the new breed of metal bands and are set to take the underground by storm, even if it is only in the Far East, great things will happen.

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

DAGON POWER
'大红袍'
MORT PRODUCTIONS

Chinese Metalcore is something that not many people would think about and so when Dagon Power emerge on the block with sounds like Asking Alexandria and Bleeding Through, the next step which indeed is the slaughter, could not be dreamt of. Pummelling drumming mixed with outrageous riffing and some gruesome vocals altogether mix to make a face-smacker of an album. If you thought you knew Metalcore, think again, this band will take you and smash your brain ten times harder than a Glaswegian kiss (headbutt). For Dagon Power, the prospect of global recognition has just begun.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

NARAKAM
'Burning At Moment'
MORT PRODUCTIONS

Narakam is China's first ever Death Metal band, forming in 1993, however forward to 2008 and
there is a period of which was seen as a dark time for China, well that is you're referring to Narakam and their second album 'Burning At Moment' which see's the quintet deliver a concrete smacking of Oriental Death Metal. Featuring eight tracks of ballistic drumming, riffing and gut-rotting vocals. With influences easily drawn from bands such as Hail of Bullets, Unleashed and Tang Dynasty (most for the oriental sounds / vocal chanting), Narakam are easily proving that they have what it takes to drive extreme metal to the cliff, over the edge and provide a fast, sharp and painful drop, it will be interesting to see what they sound like now.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

SCREAMING SAVIOR
'宙海 / Infinity'
MORT PRODUCTIONS

It is not often that you come across an album that could be pointed as genre-defining, so when China's Screaming Savior emerge once again to deliver their second round of Oriental Gothic Black Metal, it is hardly surprising that comparisons can be drawn from ChthoniC, Theatres Des Vampires and Shade Empire, by mixing harmonious sounds with traditional Chinese sounds and the vocals experienced on Shade Empire's 'Zero Nexus' album. This altogether gives Screaming Savior something to jeer about, or at least reprieve the sense that they are altering the course of Extreme Metal for the good, and with '宙海 / Infinity' being their latest works, much more is yet to come from this sextet.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

_ SILENT DESCENT
'Mind Games'
RISING RECORDS

It's here, the follow-up to the nuclear blast that was 'Duplicity', the Rising Records debut album by Kent's Trance Metal wizards Silent Descent. The septet who hail from the town of Dartford utilise a delicate balance of Trance Music with European style Melodic Death Metal. Whilst conventionally differentiating their sound entirely from the rest of the 'Trance Army' such as: Enter Shikari, Asking Alexandria, Blood Stain Child etc, the septet have ruthlessly returned to max-out their sound with enough power and gusto to cause a ripple-effect across the Thames estuary. If pioneering a subgenre was meant to come from sheer experimentation, then it has certainly fallen for Silent Descent. This album captures the trance magic from the arsenal known as 'Kipster', the firing of skin-cutting riffs from Tom Callahan and Jaco Oxley, whilst being embezzled by the magnitude of the thunderous drumming by Jerry Sadowski and the ultimate armour piercing warhead devised by vocal architect Tom Watling, let alone the intertwining by Paul Hurrell and Jimmy Huang to altogether deliver what is perhaps already perceived as the album of the year in the UK Metal scene.

RHYS STEVENSON [10]

_CORE IN CHINA
ROCK IN CHINA

As ancient as their forefathers, the Chinese Metal and Rock scenes are ones that are not fully researched into and as such are left underground, what this free online compilation has done (which is downloadable from this page) is dug out a myriad of bands from the Metalcore, Deathcore, Nintendocore, Hardcore and Screamo sub-genres and presented this to the masses. The compilation took five months to compile and represent the areas of Beijing, Wuhan, Changsha, Taipei, Hong Kong, Baou and Guangzhou. It has been released via Rock In China's web page and is worth downloading,

For a country like China to have an underground scene of epic proportions is a testament to the unformidable power of the internet, from the very first Heavy Metal band Tang Dynasty to tomorrow's Chinese musicians, this is a compilation any Metal fan should download and support.

From New Tanks slamming Deathcore (which is brutal enough to make you look a right softy), to Meat Sucks' beautiful ballad-tinged hardcore sensation. You'd be asking for more than a Chinese takeaway, this compilation covers many tastes and not just one. Noodlecore some people call it, but Nintendocore is a crossing of Nintendo music and Deathcore/Metalcore; quite apt for a console that is ironically Japanese.

But take no assumptions, download it and let your ears do the deciding, China has spoken, the bands are ready, are you? Let the audio assault begin....

RHYS STEVENSON (8.5)

_IHSAHN
'Eremita'
CANDLELIGHT

One would confuse this with easy listening, or perhaps pure sensational imagination. This is after all Ihsahn's latest offering 'Eremita', a cleverly constructed assault of Extreme Progressive Metal with enough riffs to leave you barking for more. 'Eremita' marks Ihsahn's fourth outing and possibly his most impressive in the existence of the project. It’s fast, its heavy, its Norwegian and it’s insane, Ihsahn is taking Extreme Metal to a third dimension and in doing so, lashing it with a furious smacking of Black Metal-tinged Prog Metal. Who said innovation and experimentation was disastrous?

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

_ MASK OF VIRTUE
'In This World'
RISING RECORDS

Another band using the electronic music wildcard, but there is something unique about Mask Of Virtue, whether it's the fact they use melodic vocals and down-right brutal hardcore as a backdrop or the fact they are poised to the take the UK scene by storm. Whilst not as prolific (yet) as Hertfordshire band Enter Shikari, the Yorkshire quintet are not far behind from copping onto that sound, but at the sound they are currently at, they should stick. This is after hearing their debut album 'In This World', a harmonious composition of some of the sickest riffs, danceable beats and soul-destroying vocals. From start to finish, this is a non-stop roller-coaster of 'electronicore' at its absolute finest. Naturally sounding as Enter Shikari's successor, this is the 'electronicore' band the UK has been waiting for, next stop... global domination.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON