WITCHING HOUR 'Past Midnight...' UNDERCOVER Summoning the evil spirits and unruly unrest in Blackened Thrash style is Germany's Witching Hour with their sophomore full length album 'Past Midnight...', clearly taking into account the Teutonic style of Thrash and quick, raspy Black Metal, the quartet from Rehlingen have a Toxic Holocaust influence in their music and as such develops a funky style of Metal essentially. 'Past Midnight...' is an album loaded with AK47's and armed with speaker-to-ear missiles, blasting the speakers beyond volume 11 and shifting the music into overdrive, Witching Hour is your perfect complement to any Halloween party, you have been warned. [9] RHYS STEVENSON IRRLYCHT 'Schatten Des Gewitters' UNDERCOVER Relentless is one word to describe Germany's latest Black Metal baby Irrlycht, this comes with their first ever major words in form of their debut album 'Schatten Des Gewitters'. With songs as long as a ruler and as heavy as a gold bar, Irrlycht burn and torture any speaker to death. Whilst the lyrics are conventionally in German, this does not deter the band from unleashing blazing hell in a hard-hitting assault of blistering drumming, skull-shattering shrieks and gut-rotting riffs. Irrlycht are certainly devouring the underground like no tomorrow and as such will be rightfully positioned as one of the darkest bands in the German Black Metal scene. [8] RHYS STEVENSON BLIZZARD 'Rock 'N' Roll Overkill' UNDERCOVER German Speed Thrashers Blizzard totally increase and accelerate the rock 'n' roll feel with their biker soundtrack-of-an-album that being their third full length release 'Rock 'N' Roll Overkill'. Bringing the best of Judas Priest-esque Speed Metal with the formidable Teutonic style of Thrash Metal. Fast, groovy and sensationally erotic, Blizzard bring on the table a full rack of ribs and douse it with the juiciness of BBQ sauce, in this instance the drums ride strong as the ribs, the vocals reside in the Kölsch and the guitars act as the BBQ sauce, all in all it has to be said that 'Rock 'N' Roll Overkill' is one tasty release. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON FUNERARIUM 'Nocthule' UNDERCOVER Back in 2008 a cold and darkened storm hung over the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, this was to be the striking of the match for Black Metal duo Funerarium, for their sophomore album 'Nocthule' took form and unleashed a scary-enough release of which is dark enough to shroud even the blackest of shadowy nights. Funerarium are setting the absolute example of how underground Black Metal should be performed and in doing so create the darkest blasting of music from the small European country. 'Nocthule' is an album for the fans of kvlt Black Metal and true underground BM. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON FUNERARY BELL
'The Coven' UNDERCOVER Arising from the caves of the frost-bittern lands of Finland is Black Metal trio Funerary Bell, bringing with them the sounds of the grave and their premier release 'The Coven'. Whilst not conventionally fast or noisy, Funerary Bell opts for a more atmosphere-charged release and so unleash a slow, mid-paced array of seemingly occult Black Metal. Hailing from Järvenpää, home to a burgeoning underground scene, Funerary Bell make their feelings heard and make Finnish Black Metal stand up for it's self-righteous beliefs, the ice-laden beast of the woods has spoken, welcome to 'The Coven'. [8] RHYS STEVENSON
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WYTCH HAZEL 'Surrender' Lancashire Heavy Metal / Hard Rockers Wytch Hazel kick off their musical career with their 2011 single 'Surrender', clearly sounding off with influences of Iron Maiden, classic rock like Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Queen, this Preston quartet are just of a select number of bands who keep the New Wave of British Heavy Metal alive, scintillating riffs embedded on a rock 'n' roll drum pattern, this is a sign that the classic sounds of the drums and guitars are still there. As for Wytch Hazel this is a decent release and is a promising sign their debut release whether it will be an EP or album will be one to look exceedingly forward to. [9] RHYS STEVENSON INHARMONIC 'Ugly' Unleashing a torrential flood of mesmerising riffs, encapsulating blastbeats and intellectual vocals, Inharmonic are the next band of feisty Finns to emerge out of the Metal factory in Finland. With their debut EP 'Ugly' now under wraps, this is perhaps another band to contest the faltering Swedish Death Metal scene, although history between the two sides matches the brutality of the music. Furthermore Inharmonic expel any demons they may have had and with this release blast a hole in the sound barrier with such a force, the audio waves now pounding the eardrums of the listener may as well be dubbed 'Ugly'. [8] RHYS STEVENSON STAINLESS 'Beerquest' Sounding a little poor in the recording phase but respectfully could be categorized as 'Raw Thrash Metal', but for Germany's Stainless this is perhaps a signal of intent that they are aiming to improve their sound and production results. Conventionally sounding similar to fellow countrymen Holy Moses in the familiar sound of the Teutonic Thrash Metal vein, the North Rhine-Westphalia based quartet are more so ones who with the right decisions could make it big, for now though a number if improvements could be made, but their third demo 'Beerquest' is not a complete fail, but not a definite success either. [7] RHYS STEVENSON FALL TO OBLIVION 'A Word Of Advice' Essex Melodic Metalcore bad boys Fall To Oblivion unleash a forensic search for immense brutality and cataclysmic rhythms to sanction the underground levelling of the Essex Metal scene. Sounding like their county counterparts Tides of Virtue, the Stamford-Le-Hope quintet fist-pump the speakers with a fury-laden audio blast of sickening slick riffs and brain-melting blastbeats alongside a gut-retching vocal array of mass proportions. Already in the final of the Rayleigh battle of the bands, this band is without a doubt the next big act to erupt out of the chasms of Essex and so the next stop for Fall To Oblivion? Nationwide domination. [10] RHYS STEVENSON ZOMBIFIED
'Backroom Eugenics' GRIND SCENE Gore lords Zombified return with their sickening tunes in the form of their second EP 'Backroom Eugenics', cursing more words and sensational music with the disturbed tone of zombies, gore and horror, the Death Metal version of Alice Cooper. Pummelling drumming acting as a foundation for the most tantalizing brutal onslaught of finger-snapping riffs and gut-rotting vocals, this is the darkest side of Northern Ireland unleashed, but also the heaviest that Northern Ireland perhaps has to offer. Zombified are leading the next infantry of British Death Metal and are continually flying the flag for the Northern Irish Metal scene. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON CRIMSON DARKNESS 'The Devourer Of All' Southampton Atmospherically-charged Black Metal band Crimson Darkness return with their second blazing of Vampiric Metal, their second album 'The Devourer Of All' comes after a twelve-year wait since their debut and what a wait it was, sounding similar to Cradle Of Filth but also Darkthrone, Crimson Darkness plague their seaside city with eternal darkness and Gothic-tinged imagery, so much for the saints of Southampton when these lads are clearly Lord Dracula's brothers. 'The Devourer Of All' is a solid reminded of how romantic Black Metal can be, an essential for any Black Metal fan's collection. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON SHIELD OF WINGS 'Solarium' As heavenly as soaring angels above the stratosphere, Shield Of Wings make their debut count in emphatic and sonic style, with real power and passion driving the album forward, this is clearly the American's answer to the successful Dutch band Within Temptation, majestic melodic vocals in the female form collide with deep male vocals to add such a contrast it rivals the ying-yang theorem. Fast-paced drums, symphonic orchestral-like keyboard tunes and magic-laden guitars all combine to create the perfect audio storm. This is Illinois' finest hour but for Shield Of Wings, this is just the beginning of something far more epic. [10] RHYS STEVENSON CRESCENT LAMENT 'The Forgotten Winter' + 'Crescent Lament' Firing up the Oriental side of things is Melodic Black / Gothic Metal sextet Crescent Lament from Taiwan, with their two 2008 releases, 'The Forgotten Winter' (EP) and 'Crescent Lament' (demo) taking the form of a little touch of melancholic's to form the basis of 'Oriental Dark Metal', whilst the music itself plays well and is composed cleverly, the vocals on the male side could be a little less harsh so that it contrasts with the melodic female vocals, but overall 'The Forgotten Winter' EP is a decent release. As for their self-titled demo which was released prior to the EP, the melodic music is very smooth but the drums and guitars are a little rough and unclear, at the same time the vocals seem ok but do not carry such a burdening negative sound unlike the EP. Overall two decent releases from which the band can use as a foundation to get better on. [6.5] + [7] RHYS STEVENSON NAPOLEON SKULLFUKK 'Swollen & Torture Metal' DYNAMIC ARTS Oulu-based Death Metal merchants Napoleon Skullfukk remorse their seven year career with a tasty compilation of their best works, 'Swollen & Torture Metal' features extremely deadly riffs, cascading drum beats and perhaps Grindcore vocals instead of classified Death Metal, whether this is a new adaptation of the subgenre remains a mystery, but essentially this release is guarenteed to kick off moshpits, break necks and chaos emphatic oblivious turn-outs, 'Swollen & Torture Metal' is a compilation of the sickest music you'll find in the Finnish Metal scene [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON LOLITA KOMPLEX
'Le Cabinet Des Marionettes' ECHOZONE Austrian Visual Kei-inspired Gothic Metal / Rock sextet Lolita Komplex emerge out of the darkened corners of Vienna where once great Mozart reigned with classical music, whereas today Lolita Komplex reign with classical Gothic Metal infused Gothic Rock with the Visual Kei image to complement a growing trend in European Visual Kei bands, musically they sound similar to bands like Siousxie & The Banshees whilst adding Moi Dix Mois influences into their music, creating a dynamic sound, sensational dual vocals combined by two talented vocalists and four musicians to back up the potential genre they have mustered, essentially Austrian Visual Kei / Schwarz Metal. What makes this band all the more impressive is them singing in English and Japanese, even with their Austrian accent. But no matter how many times it takes to become acquainted to the band's sound, it always seems everything is in the right order, so much so this could be Austrian Gothic Metal album of 2011. [10] RHYS STEVENSON AR 'Chaffinch / The Trade single CD' Cambridge monsters AR unleash uncanny havoc with this two song demo, essentially an A and B side, but what the hell, here is a band with more balls than a bull on testosterone pills, mixing Thrash Metal elements with Heavy Alternative Metal, the so called 'in-your-face' kind, armed with a variety of killer riffs, slick vocals and drums too cool enough to appear on MTV, AR is Cambridgeshire's latest hopefuls to break into the English Metal mainstream, just don't count them on being support for bands much longer. [8] RHYS STEVENSON RECOIL 'The Will To Sin' NEW JUSTICE Pummelling the sandstorms around the desert is Australia's new fury fighters Recoil, a whammed up boy band with a guttural sense of brutality, essentially a Deathcore / Death Metal quartet who just released their mesmerising debut album 'The Will To Sin' last year. Whilst not as heavy as first thought, the true essence lies in the ravenous riffs of which cascade like no tomorrow. Part Parkway Drive, part Whitechapel, part Unleashed, this is Australian Metal as never heard before, if you have 'The Will To Sin', then Recoil is your band. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON RETALIATORY MEASURES 'MMX' Hallows call by name when Retaliatory Measures come into the affray, essentially five Finns with enough whimsical empowerment to topple any non-metal fan, 'MMX' is their debut EP released last year and with it comes Death / Thrash Metal in the sincerest form, a beacon to the ever-diversifying Finnish Metal scene, but whilst this is nothing new in terms of genre developing, the sound itself is as new as can be, so whilst this is not a genre-defining EP nor a definite development, it is still a decent release. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON INSAIN 'Spiritual Rebirth' Screwing out the blood-sodden carpets of Paris is French Brutal Death Metal posse Insain, a rather aptly stated band name, for this music is Insain. Brutalizing blast-beats form amid outrageous vocal dilemmas and intrinsic riffs, all merging together to create a theatrical solidarity composition in the form of their debut 2010 album 'Spiritual Rebirth', this is French Metal on drugs, a cocktail of mental song structures and forensic vocals alleviating any sickness, the brute of Brutal Death Metal is here. [10] RHYS STEVENSON SIMULACRUM
'Promo 2011' Fast, unconventional and seemingly a near-perfect mess, the vocals are all over the place, the drums are totally not what they are meant to be, the guitars just do the trick, this is pretty much what sums up the 2011 promotional released by Finnish Progressive Metal quintet Simulacrum, this needs serious work done to it, the vocals are more so Power Metal and so it is highly unclear to what genre they want, but given credit for developing something bizarrely unique. [5] RHYS STEVENSON SCORNGRAIN 'Utopia.Paranoia.Perversions!' DYNAMIC ARTS Finnish Cyber Industrial / Thrash Metal veterans Scorngrain abseil the electronic scaling of the Cyberspace to deliver their third megabyte, essentially their latest album 'Utopia.Paranoia.Perversions!' released last year, with a foundation of synthetic synthesizers and trance music providing the backbone to Finland's answer to Norway's Black Comedy, Scorngrain are gathering momentum in the Cyber Metal category and with their latest effort do not likely to give up for one moment, a true work of the digital structure kind. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON HARM 'Demonic Alliance' BATTLEGOD PRODS. Promising Norwegian Thrashers make their sophomore album the more the sweeter by included a supplementary DVD to make the album even more sick, with clear chunky bass lines and percussive drumming serving as a sumptuous basis for really heavy vocals and raging riffs, Harm maybe the next generation of the big four Thrashers. Pounding sound waves emanate from the speakers in true surround sound and with this as a second coming, Harm are on the way to become Thrash Metal favorites, watch this space. [10] RHYS STEVENSON MR.DEATH 'Death Suits You' AGONIA It just seems all the same, Swedish Death Metal has not deviated from it's classical structure and nor has Mr.Death, added to the fact the vocals are horrifically poor it makes hearing Justin Bieber sing much more musical, the music itself is a little conciliation, but overall the EP 'Death Suits You' released last year is one of those that should be given with a warning, be wary of it, for it is not one you would expect any day to reach Unleashed's standards, let alone magazine standard, it's a nice effort, but with more tuning they would make it better. [4] RHYS STEVENSON CEPHALIC IMPURITY 'Unique Brute Revival' SOULFLESH COLLECTOR Well essentially a brutal album with not much to say in the vocals, although it has it's own brutal tantalizing result, this is Russia's Brutal Death Grinders Cephalic Impurity with their second album 'Unique Brute Revival' released last year. Whilst not as clear as Finnish same-genre stalwarts Deathbound, this quartet from Izhevsk unleash a brain-smashing torrent of ravenous riffs and sick slick style drumming in conjunction with gut-rotting vocals, so for those who find music hard and heavy, be warned, this is a hell of a lot heavier. [8] RHYS STEVENSON DUSK CHAPEL
'A Passage To Forever' FONO Ukraine Black / Death Metal newcomers Dusk Chapel return with their second serving of early Behemoth style music with more gusto than the Ukrainian national football team, whilst not sounding really Black Metal in terms of drums, the latter excited enough dark matter to unleash hell in the most striking of manners, essentially a fair decent attempt but lacks that little something, not just musical composure either, but 'A Passage To Forever' is one of those releases that resides in the 'either you love it or hate it' category. [7] RHYS STEVENSON GMN - Vol22 - Shadowthrone / Funebre / Assur, Godspell, Bloodland, Sammsara, Devoid Of Fate10/7/2011 SHADOWTHRONE / FUNEBRE / ASSUR 'Forever On The Dark Side' NEVERHEARD Somewhat of a revelation with three Hungarian bands on one CD split, Black Metal band Shadowthrone, Black Metal one-man project Funebre and one-man Pagan Metal project Assur come together to unleash a spine-tingling selection of raw Black Metal in it's most evil form, enough to churn your stomach from the vocalist's stifling array of shrieks and screams. With Shadowthrone it's a slow percussive choice but whilst the guitars add ambiance, there feels to be something missing. As for Funebre it is similar but on a general basis the production is there, the musical composition is creepy and yet the atmosphere is the same, whilst with Assur, it is a rather disappointing musical production, simply put because the music seems to have little drive for perfection. All in all a decent split, just the odd disappointment here and there, but certainly a true underground Black Metal recording. [7] + [8] + [6.5] GODSPELL 'No Noise Can Mute Us Now' Words escape on this one, whilst the vocals do Death Metal some justice, the music itself from the guitars and drums is dire, seriously without being crude the Swiss boys Godspell might as well spend more time on making watches, sure there is worse but this is a disappointing release, this being their debut EP 'No Noise Can Mute Us Now' which was released last year , none the less a fair attempt at the beginning, the only way is to improve, whether the production of this EP was to blame remains a question, but for now it remains to be seen if this is a good release or not. [4] RHYS STEVENSON BLOODLAND 'Buried Alive' German Death Metal new boys Bloodland caused chaotic eruptions with their incandescent debut demo 'Buried Alive' released last year. Riffs and blastbeats intertwine with each other whilst the vocals are a bit hard to understand, but that adds to the brutality of the growling, essentially a demo for those who prefer Death Metal to be raw, under-recorded and unclean, overall a decent attempt but no real criticism is needed, only that to say it is not a perfect release either, however a sound warning must be issued. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON SAMMSARA '...With Damage' Emerging with their debut full-length album is French Atmospheric Gothic Metal newcomers Sammsara, elaborating a darkened sense of being immersed in shadows with the majestic sound of French Metal, Sammsara certify a promise to take the listener to a never before heard place, one full of mystery, questions and blackness. Whilst the females take the beauty of the Gothic Metal to new levels, the deep male vocals add a little downside to it, but the music itself patches that up, '...With Damage' is one of those releases that soothes the soul and is not to be shunned upon. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON DEVOID OF FATE
'Monolith' The oncoming storm that many may wither at, this is the new breed of Melodic Death Metal, Finnish Metallers Devoid The Fate return with their sixth demo release 'Monolith', with a controversial introductory speech track on the song 'The Storm' to savor anyone who dares agree with it. Musically the drums are tight and riffs progressive, but whilst the overall beat is more melodic than Death Metal style it is classified as one demo that ought to be in anyone's collection, a real solid concrete mix of grit, heavy brutality and unjust composition levels, a classic a heart waiting to be released to the masses. [9] RHYS STEVENSON DROWLICH 'Benighted Illumination' Whirling and twisting the cold bitterness of the frostbitten landscape of Finland is newcomers Drowlich with their debut demo 'Benighted Illumination' released last year, although it is a two-track release, it has the feeling of a full EP, majestic and spine-chilling atmospheric music encompassed by soft Black Metal vocals and a sense of darkness prowls the room with enticing consequences, essentially a feast for the ears. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON ECHIDNA 'Manifests Of Human Existence' Solid Greek Metal from Echidna's debut full-length album 'Manifests Of Human Existence' comes in a unique style, essentially due to the fact they have incorporated traditional Greek musical influences to further make the sound their own unique production, whilst the vocals are not the clearest, the overall effort is a decent one, the drums are ruthless and the guitars are youthless, meaning it's mature sounding, such 'Manifests Of Human Existence' should not be ignored. [8] RHYS STEVENSON MASSIVE SLAVERY 'Global Enslavement' MAPLE METAL Quebec based Melodic Death Metal / Metalcore mob Massive Slavery are the next export from this French speaking region of Canada, with their exhilarating debut album 'Global Enslavement' released last year, this is an essential album for any fan of either genre, sounding a slower-paced band unlike The Dead Lay Waiting from England it is heavy as well as brutally apt in that the riffs and vocals are both luscious and complex, this is a total new breed of Metal, a tale of 'Global Enslavement'. [9] RHYS STEVENSON KLINIKA 'Безглузда опора сучасників Сонц&' SATANARSA Ukrainian Gothic Metal trio Klinika spawn out darkness in their premier album 'Безглузда опора сучасників Сонц&' released last year, captivating the essence of the Ukrainian language the Kiev group channel their music through a field of despair, sorrowful lairs and Eastern European atmospheric catacombs, all leaving the audible pieces beckoning on themselves within an abrupt abhorrent alteration in musical composition. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON SOLARWARD
'As The Sky Stares Down' MORE HATE PRODS Nature-infused Melodic Black Metallers Solarward emerge from the wooded forests of Minsk to conjure up their debut album 'As The Sky Stares Down' which was released in 2009, it sees near-raw vocals and Cradle Of Filth style musical compositions with added nature influences such as wolves baying at the moon, this in turn with many other noises creates a natural atmosphere to it and in it's own way makes this band unique, so much so Solarward are flying the flag for the Belarusian Metal scene. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON DIRGE ETERNAL 'Lucifer's Lullabye' The debut 2010 EP from Finnish Heavy Dark Metallers Dirge Eternal brings together the darkness of the Finnish wilderness, transcribing the atmosphere into the wintry feeling that comes with the winters of this Scandinavian country, whilst not as heavy as Iron Maiden, Dirge Eternal uses keyboards to install a dynamic elevated atmosphere of near-Gothic exemplars, in relation to the forbode Finnish Gothic scene, this is one step up the ladder to exclaim the cleverness of the Finnish musicians, for Dirge Eternal this is just the start of something big. [8] RHYS STEVENSON IMHORGL 'Antinomian' Australian Melodic Black Metal stalwarts Imhorgl return with their next blasting of ear-burning assaults, 'Antinomian' is far heavier than Cradle Of Filth, but is a tad over the top in terms of heaviness and over-production, this is one album that will burn ears with enragement, a really angry album, but by far is a bizarrely over-tuned one. [5] RHYS STEVENSON AZARATH 'Blasphemers Malediction' WITCHING HOUR PRODS. The fifth album of Polish Death Metal warriors Azarath brings more torture and Satanic influences to the table, 'Blasphemers Malediction' specialises in fast and furious music to highlight the disastrous incantations erupting from the larynx of Marek "Necrosodom" Lechowski and to encase this majestic blast of evil with an array of different notes, beats and vocal productions, all in all a highly solid and welcomed album. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON NOMAD 'Transmigration Of Consciousness' WITCHING HOUR PRODS. Smashing their way through the colossal chasms of the underground Metal scene in Poland is Death Metal intermediates Nomad and their fifth overall strike in the album sector, their release 'Transmigration Of Consciousness' has a clear melodic touch to it with the drum patterns having a melodic sway to them, essentially not a bad album but little more could be done to make this sound much better, though the excellent thing about this album is all the tracks form one long track as they meld together, like a 'Transmigration Of Consciousness'. [8] RHYS STEVENSON EMPTY PLAYGROUND
'Under Dead Skin' WITCHING HOUR PRODS Polish Industrial Death Metallers Empty Playground lay low with their funky debut album with a blistering and capitalising escape from the reigns of binding, a collective array of songs similar to that of when Vader meets Nine Inch Nails meets Polish penetration, so much so for Cybergrind, for these five Poles, this is a moment to slip into fourth gear and deliver much more than this release, quite an energetic album at that, not one to down. [7] RHYS STEVENSON BEYOND THE DREAM 'In The Heart Of Nothing' Storming Finns Beyond The Dream abseil the waterfall of improvement to deliver their best work yet, their third album 'In The Heart Of Nothing', with a toned down recorded sound, the atmosphere takes over, unleashing the wintry blast of Lapland and sleekness of Jyväskylä, mixing the Melodic Death Metal fuel which seems to have glued to Finland with the dark Gothic Metal feel Finland exhibits, Beyond The Dream are Poisonblack and Wintersun merged together, from the ashes of something came the result of being 'In The Heart Of Nothing'. [10] RHYS STEVENSON BLASPHEMER
'Devouring Deception' COMATOSE Italian Brutal Death Metal merchants Blasphemer unleash gore and gut-rotten infestations with their first EP released last year, 'Devouring Deception' captivates grunts, growls and gurgling but limited vocals, whilst the drum blastbeats and guitar riffs do some salvage, the overall EP has it's own level of brutal insanity, regardless of the vocal wonders, Blasphemer are proving that Brutal Death Metal is always underground and is best kept deep underground to avoid the 'Devouring Deception'. [8] RHYS STEVENSON HEADCHARGER 'The End Starts Here' XIII BIS Sounding off is French Metalcore mob Headcharger with their latest album 'The End Starts Here', whilst sounding more like hardcore than metalcore, the brutality still resides, with fourteen tracks of solid metal in blistering speed. Straight from Caen this French quintet are interesting as the music sounds near similar with every track, but essentially one record for those who like metalcore on the hardcore side, not the best album, but not the worst either. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON HELIOSS 'Confessions' French duo Helioss excite and devise a darkened blast of Symphonic Black Metal smothered with parts of Death Metal to create a dynamic musical composition, namely their debut 2010 EP 'Confessions', which sounds similar to Singapore's Kalodin but with a more atmospheric approach, whilst some of the EP is fairly decent, parts lack musical structure, tracks like 'falling' are excellent, with that as a backbone, Helioss can get better. Overall this is not a bad first attempt. [7] RHYS STEVENSON ABDUCTION 'Height's Shivers' Perhaps one of the worst debut EP's from the French Metal scene, Abduction the Parisian quartet more-so resemble a group of budding musicians than actual recording artists, with their debut EP 'Height's Shivers' released in 2010, this is perhaps a mockery to the Black / Death Metal genre and as such has no place in the history of metal, back to the drawing board for this lot. [2] RHYS STEVENSON ADAMANTRA 'Promo 2011' Sending cold air from Helsinki is Progressive Power Metal ensemble Adamantra with their 2011 promotional, elaborating the best of Finnish Power Metal with a dose of progressive riffs and beats, the Finnish quartet exhibit the Power Metal of Sonata Arctica and add progressive music to it to deliver a solid performance of sensational solos and unimaginable vocal notes, essentially one band to keep any eye on, Adamantra are to make a break and release the next of Finnish heavy metal. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON KEVIN RIDLEY
'Flying In The Face Of Logic' BLAST Kevin Ridley from legendary Folk Metallers Skyclad goes solo with his first debut album 'Flying In The Face Of Logic', the Geordie musician takes his traditional Durham-cross-Northumberland folk music and rolls it around rock music to develop a unique sound of country folk metal, whether Johnny Cash is an influence it is near unclear, but what is clear is Kevin Ridley is defending the faith of true English folk music and with 'Flying In The Face Of Logic' as a influential release, this could be the beginning of something big. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON |
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