WORKSHOP
'Khooni Murga'
DEMONSTEALER

Who would have thought that the art of comedy could mix with the harsh brutality of Heavy Metal, well back in 2008 a disturbance was born and caused a result in 2009. Workshop, the Indian Heavy Metal quartet who specialise in humour, comedy and parody, conjured up their debut album back in 2009, fronted by Sahil Makhija (vocalist of India's most famous band Demonic Resurrection), the Mumbai boys deliver a tongue-in-cheek twist on the classic side of the Heavy Metal infrastructure, by singing in both English and the local variation of Hindi, mixing classic sounds and hilarious punch lines, it is no wonder why Workshop are a band in a class of their own.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

BLACK TRIP
'Heart Of The Dream'

Now neither Thrash Metal nor Melodic Death Metal is meant to be sloppy and so when Black Trip comes back with their third EP, hands just cover the face. Whilst it clear has a bit of both the vocals aren't clear and the musical composition is basic standard with no fluidity or deviation at all thus leaving it on a knife edge. For Mexico's Black Trip, their 2012 EP 'Heart of the Dream' resembles nothing but a simple sound with added solo's, even which are a tad all over the place, let's face it if it were to be a football team, the goalie would be sent off and a 30-0 deficit imaginable, sure it's not a complete failure but neither is it anything groundbreaking, effectively what this means is that the 'Heart of the Dream' has been shattered.

[5] RHYS STEVENSON

SLAY THE SHEPHERD / RAPID DOMINANCE
'Rise Of The Antagonist' / 'Premonition'

Two releases, nearly the same band. So when Slay The Shepherd made their only release 'Rise of the Antagonist' back in 2011, little did they know they were to change to become Rapid Dominance. However 'Rise of the Antagonist' delivers a tricky combination of aggressive riffs and gritty vocals but the sound obviously was not good for the band hence the change, but overall the release 'Rise Of The Antagonist' is a good attempt, but the change-over can also mean that they did not like their current position and so with that in mind shifted to a newer direction.

Shifting to 2012 and the new boys Rapid Dominance do not fail with their debut EP 'Premonition', mixing the sounds of Lamb of God and a myriad of metal sub-genres; namely Progressive Metal with Death / Thrash Metal. It's fast flowing, powerfully brutal and insanely intricate, lashed with technical riffs and vocals so disturbing it made any autopsy automatically become a comedy. This is a band with a load of fury and wizardry stored up their sleeves, more than the predecessors had and it is this band that will lead the Danish Metal scene to newer levels.

[5] + [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

RAGER
'Image Of Fear'

From time to time release come out so poor you have to double the level your speakers are just to barely hear them, such a band is Rager from Weston-Super-Mare of whom have released their second EP and ultimately play it in the Slayer style, slamming rhythms, guitar-wire flaming riffs and blazing vocals, there should be a restraining order on this lot for going too fast on the instruments. Overall the release is a fairly decent effort but the clarity that's lacking leaves the release totally open to any criticism or praise, it's just that it isn't a powerful start.

[5.5] RHYS STEVENSON

SHOT AT DAWN
'White Trash Metal Brigade'

Norway generally has a reputation for spewing out bands in the Thrash and Black Metal sub-genres, but even that does not equate the force of Shot At Dawn. Lashing furious breakdowns with intricate melodies and mesmerising technical attributes, 'White Trash Metal Brigade' is their pivotal album. The ten-legged Melodic Death Metal / Deathcore machine combine elements from bands like BMTH, Suicide Silence, Bleeding Through and the adequate Deathcore breakdown; this is the sort of album and band to garner label attention across the Americas and Europe whilst carving the two genres in half. Threading a sound together that sounds so unique it makes Deathcore seem infant to the incredible tune devised by this Oslo lot, for fast brutal and grizzly music look no further, join the 'White Trash Metal Brigade' and watch your enemies as they are Shot At Dawn.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

WILL WALLNER  / VIVIEN VAIN
'Will Wallner / Vivien Vain'

So the side-project to White Wizzard is born and by jove does it kick off in electrifying style, enter Will Wallner accompanied by the illustrious Vivien Vain delivering the fiery raging vocals. The duo from L.A. California make their 3 year wait for a debut come to a close as they unleash the Hard Rock / Heavy Metal belter 'Will Wallner / Vivien Vain', featuring all the classy elements from bands such as Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Van Halen and more, this is simply a breathtaking album full of the old classic sounds with a modern emphasis. Harmonious vocals surrounded by some crafty and technical guitar work and backed up by some insane drumming; this is an album with everything chucked in and is sure to get some well-deserved attention.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON
_

BANSHEE
'Mindslave'
SNOWBLIND PRODS.

It only took an eleven year period for Kansas wizards Banshee to re-emerge from the tornado bunker and deliver an album worthy of F5 classification. Their third album in their 27 year existence is a sharp reminder this band is far beyond finished, crafting and curling up their unique sound in the Power Metal sub-genre. The quartet may be clocking on and the modern generation may seem them as has-beens, but this is simply not the case, Banshee are far from finished and with 'Mindslave' bringing the original tones and sounds of classic Power Metal back to the frontline, this is just the beginning of something far more epic than the first landing on the moon.

[7]  RHYS STEVENSON

RIGOR MORTIS
'Grave New World'
BRUTAL SYNDICATE

If not for the horrendous vocals that sound so much like a guy being tortured or castrated, it would be a decent album, even so the sloppy bass sound adds more to the pain the ears are receiving. This is of course the 2011 EP by Japanese Thrash Metallers Rigor Mortis and it, well, is very non-descript. 'Grave New World' sets up a fast and ferocious drumming style and the riffing does well to keep in time, but the bass and the vocals are the major let down and if it is to be that Rigor Mortis are to aim for a debut album, they have got a long way to go, one whole album of this could cause death by dangerous music, there again it's better than Bieber so everyone is in the clear.

[4.5] RHYS STEVENSON

DIABLERIE
'Transition'

Corr good lord, so much energy has surged through the speakers and it is this energy that gets the vibes on their toes, raving and getting down to the groove. Because you can't get enough from Diaberie's second EP 'Transition'. Mixing the funk sound experienced in Industrial Metal and tarnishing it with the synthetic sounds of Electronic Metal and putting into it vocals of the Hardcore guild, this is a truly sensational piece of music and is sure to go down well in the Finnish Metal scene. Showing off clear influences from bands like The Berzerker, Impaled Nazarene, The Amenta and other Extreme Metal bands, Diablerie may become more than just a blip on the radar.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

GRAVETY
'Into The Grave'
SOURCE OF DELUGE

Smackdown and let rip to the sounds of Heavy Thrash Metal, or one should say the debut album 'Into The Grave' released by Gravety. The German quintet lash together a unique sound that reflects the glorified Oktoberfest in its prime, sensational riffs and menacing drumming all adding flavour to the mind-blowing vocals that cascade and scale the volume levels like no tomorrow. 'Into The Grave' is a strong starting point and it is highly promising that this band are to get a name for themselves across Europe. Finally the missing component to the Heavy Thrash Metal vein has come, the anxiety can now dissipate.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

SPECTRAL
'Gateway To Death'
CCP

You know, it seems to be that when German musicians adopt Viking Black Metal as their chosen music genre, they seem to nail it perfectly, however taking Spectral's fifth offering 'Gateway To Death' into account, they do more than just nail it, they obliterate it. Blasting out blastbeats like no tomorrow and utilising a chaotic vocal range, the quintet are in no doubt amateurs in producing quality music and as such are not even remotely reluctant to go the extra mile, not much could be said about the German cars, but that's Industrial Metal surely? Spectral are amongst the elite of Viking Black Metal bands who do more than shriek, they totally mean it.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

RAVENTALE
'Bringer of Heartsore'
SOLITUDE

As if the Ukrainians were going to let Russia steal the spotlight with the factory of doom pumping out disturbing Metal music day-in, day-out. Fat chance, as Raventale's fifth album saw light in 2011 it brought a majestic sound to it, one of which is totally different to conventional Black / Doom Metal albums, that said the melancholy and misery still resides in the most darkened atmospheres one could muster in such a musical genre, but with 'Bringer of Heartsore' being perhaps the best release by the one-man project, nothing can deter anyone from not calling this a work of art. Blistering drums acting as a forerunner to the rawest guitars heard, even the distortion is enough to create a double atmosphere, but with that in mind 'Bringer of Heartsore' is definitely one to have in anyone's collection.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

TEARS OF MANKIND
'Memoria'
SOLITUDE

Can't even begin to explain what this is about, it fails to even create anything but percussive noise, even if the rudimentary beginning of 'Memoria' is particularly unwelcoming, the album for which is number four for the Russian one-man project Tears Of Mankind is absolutely abysmal. The drums appear out of sync to the guitars and the vocals don't even resemble anything like Gothic Metal, given due that its meant to Melodic Gothic / Doom Metal, it more resembles a successful Metal version of Justin Bieber with accessorized corpse paint, sad to say this is perhaps the worst attempt to date.

[2] RHYS STEVENSON

STORM OF ASHES
'Trial By Fire'

Post-humourously, this is a good solid demo release, Storm of Ashes wield together the epic sounds of Thrash Metal with the ballsy

VALBORG
'Barbarian'
ZEITGEISTER MUSIC

When Progressive Doom and Death Metal come together, one would assume it would be slow, heavy and not repetitious in anyway, but this is beyond utter belief, the fact that German trio Valborg have done exactly that does not leave a lasting impression on the band, whilst the vocals do offer some deep notes from time to time, the riffs are monotonous and the whole 'Death Metal' part of their shaming fourth album 'Barbarian' seems to be non-existent, whilst the given level of enthusiasm and effort lays there, the final product is one level short of becoming disturbingly non-metal, more or less shambolic.

[2] RHYS STEVENSON

NAILGUN
'Paindustry'

2011 saw the rising of a new Heavy Thrash band, and not a doom and gloom of another copycat release, no, this is Germany's Nailgun with a heart of steel and music of atomic characteristics, the vocals explode on the speakers from the release 'Paindustry' like no tomorrow whilst the music delves into the most percussive of methods and unleashes a cascading blast of neck-snapping Thrash and gut-wrenching Heavy Metal, thus giving a migraine to any pop music listener. They only thought Germany had Rammstein in metal, fikken nein, Nailgun ist die neue scheiss!!

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

OWL
'Owl'
ZEITGEISTER MUSIC

Catastrophe is a word not even beginning to describe the self-titled album by Germany's Death Metal duo Owl, for starters two of the tracks are insanely long, in fact hardly any listener would stick half an hour to one track that sounds of absolute nothing, the only decent track on this release is 'Spell Of The Ignis Fatuus That Lead To The Impalpable Altar Of Beasts'; the latter being long in the song title, but whilst the song offers some credit to the release, the overall impression is bleak, in fact in all fairness this is an absolute mockery of Death Metal; it would be interesting to see how the musicians learnt to play...

[2] RHYS STEVENSON

THE MORNINGSIDE
'Treelogia: The Album As It Is Not'
BADMOODMAN

The first EP and third release by Russian Melodic Death / Doom Metal quartet The Morningside is one with antiquity to it, with an elaborate ever-changing atmosphere being the main focal point of their release 'Treelogia: The Album As It Is Not'; whilst the songs topple over the ten minute mark, it does leave the listener in anxiety of what's to come and what does come is soon to be dismissed as a general long track. However, the EP strangely coherently divides the norm from the common in that the songs are melodically slow and not just slow, unlike most Doom Metal releases, released in only a thousand copies; this is one release all Melodic Death / Doom Metal fans ought to own.

[6] RHYS STEVENSON

COMATOSE VIGIL
'Fuimus, Non Sumus...'
SOLITUDE PRODS.

My death be thy worry of the Christ in 2011, for the darkness shrouding one's ears is of despair and sheer depression, as the Russian Funeral Doomsters Comatose Vigil unleash hell with their sophomore album, with three tracks amounting to twenty-odd minutes each and having the atmospherically-charged ambience expected in such a genre, without considering it murder on recording, 'Fuimus, Non Sumus...' does not shy away from making stomachs churn unwillingly. Closely sounding to that of Suicidal Black Metal, this is without any doubt Russia's darkest and most depressive release to date and one for not the faint of heart.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON