 KILL CHAMBERS 'The Reckoning' RISING Reading bruisers Kill Chambers unleash horrific hell with their first lashing of prime-album material, thus the result is a catastrophic carnage of Melodic Death Metal colliding with cutting-edge Metalcore, revolutionizing the first audio wave of their debut album 'The Reckoning'. Signed to Rising Records, the quintet bring the same level of brutality as label-mates The Dead Lay Waiting but perhaps leaning more to the more softer kind in vocal levels. However don't let the image or genre-tagging fool you, for the album has enough balls and mind-crushing power to overthrow any army, let alone leaving the listener mesmerised at what just happened, chock-full of riffs, breakdowns, frequency shifts and attitude, Kill Chambers is 'the metal band to overthrow Reading Metal throne-robbers Malefice'. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  NOCTEM 'Oblivion' RISING As majestic as bull fighting is and as brutal as the Spanish armada amassed to be, the final force resulted in a mind-blowing sophomore album from the Spanish quintet Noctem. Pummelling out a monstrous emblazonment of Black / Death / Thrash Metal in its most extreme form, Noctem raise the flag of the Spanish Metal scene with emphatic style. With their sophomore album being an apt soundtrack to cavaliers on the battlefield, this is one record with a death signature and death will riding on it. Sounding like a Thrash Metal covered Behemoth, Noctem are sure to take the underground by storm. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  SKELETAL DAMAGE 'Fire & Forget' RISING Cheshire Thrash newbies Skeletal Damage offer no compromise with their debut album 'Fire & Forget', as they head straight into the full whacking of break-neck thrash and soul-crushing English Metal. In the style of the tactical European Thrash signature, the quartet ignites a series of sensationalist tracks and herald the pure essence of bringing menacing to the forefront. As for their debut album, there lacks no negative issues but more so the ideology that heads will bang, moshpits will commence and above all thrash just got a whole lot faster, it’s time to 'Fire & Forget'. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  ARMY RISING 'Impending Chaos' RISING As majestic and glorious as Iron Maiden are, Ireland's Army Rising employ Heavy Metal with some Thrash elements in the drumming, whilst infusing a great level of headbanging riffs, all in all summing up their debut album 'Impending Chaos'; being fast, chaotic and essentially heavy. Capturing the essence of the root of Heavy Metal, it is clear that Army Rising know how to play the genre to its full potential as seen on tracks like 'destination grave' with its swinging feeling in the music, much like a pendulum on crack cocaine. None the less, the boys from Tipperary have only just begun. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  KAIDEKA 'False Idols & Pyrite Thrones' RISING Hailing from the South-western peninsula of Great Britain is Cornish quintet Kaideka of whom exert their bizarre and odd mix of Nu Metal and Thrash Metal to make what one would assume is 'Nu Thrashcore'; though the band would more than likely disagree. Chock full of balls (sometimes sweaty), their latest offering 'False Idols & Pyrite Thrones' does not shy away from being individual, but nor does it hide from being nothing new, the latter proven by the American band Soulfy, however Kaideka offers a more gallant variant, one to echo off the infamous pirates in Cornish history - in fact the music would be apt in a Pirates of the Caribbean film, more so Chester Bennington of Linkin Park will have envy in mind. [9.5] RHYS STEVENSON 1 Comment  EVENSTORM 'The Return Of The Storm' This is perhaps one of Germany's most hidden metal gems, Evenstorm return with their fast-paced Heavy Metal tune in the form of their third album 'The Return Of The Storm', this cooks up a fruity balance of German Heavy Metal and brutal speed, all making this effort the funkiest the German Metal scene has to offer, even playing a song about Formula 1 on the song 'Speed Ecstasy'. This is one of those albums that you would drive along to, roof down and along route 66. Evenstorm are a classic band who deserves space on anyone's iTunes - True Heavy Metal. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  KARYBDIS 'War For Land' London quintet Karybdis decimate any resistance with a full-on ear-rape in the form of their debut EP 'War For Land', this characterizes an insane mix of Melodic Death Metal and essentially Thrashcore to the sound. The music is mid-paced, heavy and brutal and the vocals are quick, snappy and exciting, all in all this is a great first attempt. Mixing a great array of breakdowns, riffs and sensational lyrics, the bad boys are set to shred the underground in half, definitely a band to watch out for, they will soon join the British Metal revolution with Malefice, The Dead Lay Waiting, Dyscarnate and Sylosis amongst others, the storm has only just begun. [9.5] RHYS STEVENSON  NOEIN 'The Initial Tale' LES ARTS BOURRINS If Noein were a footballer, they would be Zinedine Zidane - quick, agile and an excellent striker of sensational music. The French female-fronted Industrial Death Metal quintet whips together a furious rally of tornado-force drumming, riffing and growling. One would also dub it 'cyber metal' for the ambiance caused by the clashing of instrument sounds, leaving it with a cyber feel. With their debut EP 'The Initial Tale' released last year, the two females and 3 males that make the line-up are heading the right way for recognition and with this effort, they rightly deserve it. Fear Factory now has an enemy, the war has just begun, let the battle commence. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  CORR MHONA 'Corrguineacht' Captivating the old forgone language of Irish Gaelic is Pagan Doom band Corr Mhona from Ireland, unleashing their EP back in 2009 it passes on a unique sense of it being totally different from your average Irish Metal release, regardless of the language change. There lies within this EP an influence of the Celtic Metal vein, not so much Doom Metal; being mid-paced. Still this is a band from Cork with a lot of passion about their heritage and is willing to share it in the best conveyed message. Regardless if you don’t like doom or pagan metal, Corr Mhona is a band welcomed in anyone's music taste, just to hear the Irish Gaelic language spoken is beautiful. [9] RHYS STEVENSON  EUPHOREON 'Euphoreon West meets East in this international collaboration between a German and a New Zealander, implementing the majestic sounds of Melodic Death Metal and adding their own twist to it, the duo who form Euphoreon concocted the perfect storm to unleash hell in the form of their sensational debut self-titled album. In the veins of Wintersun, Blackguard and Preternatural, the album offers a vast array of tones and pitches to excite the listener's hearing, so much so the release is an audible orgasm. Euphoreon are setting sights on pastures new and with this release, could prove to be the best ever band released from the New Zealand Metal scene as well as the best ever dual-nationality project. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  EXTIRPATION 'Tormentor Supreme Black Katharsis' INFERNAL KAOS Basque Black/Death Metal one-man project Extirpation unleashes a full force of deep darkness and growling empowerment with his debut album 'Tormentor Supreme Black Katharsis', with a raw influence clearly imminent and an essence of gruelling evil, the one-man project is enough to churn anyone's stomach inside out with a complete sense of introductory torture chasm, a testament to the Basque Country's autonomous status, the storm has just begun. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  VIATHYN 'The Peregrine Way' Majestically arriving from the state of Alberta in Canada is Power Proggers Viathyn with their debut album 'The Peregrine Way' released last year, with an enigma supporting the very foundation of this lush work, it is within no doubt that this band know exactly what they are doing, with a beat here and there, a riff seeming lost and vocals changing from second to second, this is a true work of inspiration, with that though it is not perfect, but it is a decent start from a band who have just debuted, the only problem is the time changing, from fast and powerful to a sloppy Progressive part, the album is a fair decent one. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  MCGALLIGOG 'Delusions Of Madness' Irish quintet McGalligog take the Guinness and Irish funkiness to secure their first ever release, their 2010 EP 'Delusions Of Madness' which foresees a cleverly worked amalgamation of Melodic Death Metal with Thrash influences clearly taken into account, whilst not as good as anticipated with the vocals lacking a bit of clarity, the overall production is excellent, unstable and revolutionizing in that it is a decent attempt. 'Another Fast One' pretty much sums the band up in both musical and song-title stances, ever thought Cruachan was holding back a deluge of Irish Metal? McGalligog seem to have proven so. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  SHATTERED HOPE 'Absence' SOLITUDE An absolute tiring album, so much it'll make you yawn, for being a band who straddles in the Atmospheric Doom / Death Metal and Funeral Doom Metal vein (simply Dark Metal) without making a solid attempt at captivating it's listeners is diabolical, for Greece's Shattered Hopes the band name is self-explanatory, for this release 'Absence' lacks quality, it is a real depressive release. [1] RHYS STEVENSON  DEUS OTIOSUS 'Murderer' F.D.A. REKOTZ The sort of album found in Dracula's music collection, horror-themed Death Thrashers Deus Otiosus unleash hell with their debut album 'Murderer' released last year with an emphatic array of blastbeats, riffs and non-continuous composition changing, an abrupt calamity of fusing two genres together in between song fragments, essentially a bizarre twist for the Death/Thrash genre, the Danish quintet exhibit what some try to achieve and fall at, that is a unique time procession, 'Murderer' drafts in depression as well, so if metal fans wish to you listen to it, you have been warned. [7] RHYS STEVENSON  MASACHIST 'Death March Fury' WITCHING HOUR PRODS Poland, a country resorted to either Death Metal or Black Metal as it's absolute strength spawns off a new seeding of Death Metal in the form of newcomers Masachist with their debut album 'Death March Fury' released back in 2009, whilst the music itself is a justifiable art of complete musician craftsmanship, it falls short of anything spectacular, with bog standard drumming and untimely riffs, Masachist are just your average Death Metal band. [7] RHYS STEVENSON  LOST SOUL 'Immerse In Infinity' WITCHING HOUR PRODS Another one of Witching Hour Productions finest producers of god-smiting metal, Polish Tech Death Metal stalwarts Lost Soul shred sweat and shed hearing aids in this brutal apocalyptic onslaught of blazing drumming, gut-rotten growling and Rottweiler riffs, altogether creating a dynamic and awe-inspiring centre piece for all budding Tech Death Metal musicians to follow, 'Immerse In Infinity' is one for the Polish metal history books as a pure work of unchallenged genius. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  TERMINAL 'Tree Of Lie' WITCHING HOUR PRODS. Polish Prog Metal boys Terminal unleash a sleek notion of pure bliss and excellency with their album 'Tree Of Lie' which carries some insane techno music with a progressive metal beat and Polish brutality. This is by far one of those albums that either you like it or you hate it, a midway album with music for everyone, but not essentially everyone's favourite album as some bits are left clueless. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  DEADSPEAK 'Ritual In Progress' Some may say this release was abysmal, others a work of genius, but in all sincerity Ireland-based Polish crew Deadspeak fail to captivate with this release, the vocals are meaningless and non-enthusiastic, the guitars are virtually non-existent and the drums well on holiday, this is not what one was expecting, credit for trying though. [4] RHYS STEVENSON | 2013
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