 LYCANTHIA 'Oligarchy' Full of melodramatic music and outrageous darkness is what is best to describe Lycanthia's sophomore album 'Oligarchy' as, but the only downside is that there is really too much going on, for example the harsh male vocals on top of the female high vocals doesn't sound good, and maybe alternating the vocals would. The music itself is fairly good for a Doom-laden Metal album but still the guitars lack any real presence, ironically giving it an even more raw presentation, even though the drums and the keyboards steal the show. However no matter what the negative parts of the album are, the good points are that it is very dark, gothic and beyond extreme, something which lacks in some bands these days. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON  ILLUMINATA 'A World So Cold' NAPALM RECORDS Making their return with their second album is Austrian Melodic Power / Gothic group Illuminata, the three male and three female ensemble bring to the masses 'A World So Cold' released in 2011. This sees the sextet signed to Napalm Records and also brings their delightful and majestic sounds to the table once more, epic symphonies, luscious vocals and powerful music come together to take the listener on a magical journey through the wispy clouds and wintry mountains of the Austrian alps as Illuminata lead the way and deliver an absolute epic in the tune of Within Temptation and Lacuna Coil, but what is missing is the one and only fact, this album is too short, it is that good. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  THE NINE TREASURES '十丈铜嘴 Arvan Ald Guulin Hunshoor' MORT PRODUCTIONS Simply put, this could be Chinese Metal album of the year, because '十丈铜嘴 Arvan Ald Guulin Hunshoor' not only has lyrics sung in Mongolian, features Chinese Folk music mixed with Heavy Metal or because it's the debut album by The Nine Treasures, but because the absolute originality is parallel. Hailing from Inner Mongolia, The Nine Treasures weave together a myriad of musical instruments to effectively deliver a piece of music that makes most Oriental Metal bands obsolete and what makes The Nine Treasures so special is that they've only been around two years, released their debut and are signed to a major Chinese label, in fact they've only started, next stop Loud Park? [10] RHYS STEVENSON  TERMINAL LOST (天幕落) '卷贰 凤凰山' MORT PRODUCTIONS Darkness falls over Shanghai as Terminal Lost return with their second slab of evil Melodic Black Metal in the form of '卷贰 凤凰山', the quintet bring the darker side of the Chinese Metal scene to the masses and blasts wide open the doors for black wolves to charge forward at the speed of the drums, whilst ravens swoop down as the riffs drop and the Oriental sounds deliver a soul-soothing and soul-crushing dual blow, this is an album full of many influences to keep any listener occupied and so it will be interesting to see where Terminal Lost go on from here, whether to more Oriental sounds, darker atmospheres or harder music. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  SIGH 'Infidel Art / Hail Horror Hail' MORT PRODUCTIONS So way, way back in 1995, Sigh the Black Metal / Avant Garde Metal lords of Japan, released their sophomore album as a follow up to 1993's 'Scorn Defeat', 'Infidel Art' sees more melancholy develop from the band who at this point were a trio. Mixing the darkness of the Japanese history with the bleak and cold atmosphere found in traditional Black Metal, this album delivers a cross between extreme music and the oriental sounds of Japan, now one felt that the film The Grudge was eerie enough, but when an album like this comes out of the dark to haunt your hearing, it would seem wrong to put it as a stereotypical black metal album, for here is a band who undoubtedly changed the course of Japanese Metal forever. Moving onto 1997 and Sigh turn up a notch by bringing in darker imagery and a far more cold, bitter and evil atmosphere into their third release 'Hail Horror Hail', which in turn reveals itself to be a rather sensational and unnerving album. Full of the Avant Garde Metal style in the music parts and Black Metal vocals cover the rest of the album with the bleak and eerie atmosphere warranted by the album from the first song to the very last song, Sigh take the listener on a journey of mystery, myth and total legendary proportions with this release and as they now at present have nine albums in their 23 year career, Sigh are now Japanese Metal legends. Add Comment  SERENITY IN MURDER 'The First Frisson Of The World' SPIRITUAL BEAST Harmonious and intricately constructed is the debut album by the sensational Serenity In Murder from Japan, performing Symphonic Black / Death Metal in a majestic style, the sextet from Tokyo implement symphonies in the style of Twilight Ophera but manage to sound a little less like Arcane Grail. There is the subtlest hint of Oriental music in the symphonies and with the extremely brutal vocals coming from a female singer, Serenity In Murder and their debut album 'The First Frisson Of The World' is sure to take the world by storm, if you thought Japan was doused by lots of Visual Kei bands, the underground network has just exploited one of its most darkest symphonies, Serenity In Murder will take you on a journey no metal band has ever done before. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  UNITED 'Tear Of Illusions' SPIRITUAL BEAST Thirty one years have surpassed and Japanese Metalcore / Post-Thrash Metal group United unleash their ninth full-length album 'Tear Of Illusions' to the absolute masses, this brutal onslaught of insanely fast drumming and riffs is only met by the heavy brain-smashing vocals of this quintet and as a result produce the ultimate album last year in 2011 of which marks their 30 years existence, such a time to be jubilant, for 'Tear Of Illusions' has what you expect, rad solos, mesmerising drumming and unforgettable vocals, a true masterpiece. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  HURON 'Mary Celeste' CASKET MUSIC It is quite ironic that the sophomore album from Huron is entitled 'Mary Celeste' and yet that they come from Plymouth, a city port in Devon known for its strong Naval maritime history, so when the Southern / Groove Metal quintet shot out this face-smacking work piece, the first thing that sprung to mind was 'sea war battle cry', or in its most intellect form, the tune to sea warfare. So when Huron whips in a percussive beat and somewhat fails to capitalise on the vocals, the result is a mix and match of good and bad, but don’t let the music fool you, after all the Spanish armada didn’t get fooled, but the next Huron release may well do exactly that. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  MANIFEST 'Written In Blood' VIOLENT Norwegian Groove Metal quartet Manifest make their third album 'Written In Blood' the most brutal they have ever done, with sensationally fast drumming cursing the overall atmosphere with complete utter f***ked up attitude and a fist of fury, this is one album to set moshpits off in numbers. Sounding similar to Lamb Of God, minus the Metalcore part, the Trondheim-based four-man group make it sound so simple and yet although the album itself is good, there remains some negativity in the select few tracks, but can't complain as it is a good release. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON  MANDIBULA 'Sacrificial Metal Of Death' UNIVERSAL TONGUE It comes to something when bands sing in their own native tongues, one it is interesting to listen to and two it is unique in its own rights, such is applied to the one-man project Mandibula with his first demo released back in 2010, the Portuguese musician crafts Blackened Thrash Metal in such a way it traps the listener in a cerebral frenzy, with riffs of demonic stature smouldering the senses with death and anguish, after all this is perhaps the darkest release in the Portuguese Metal scene, in likeness it is similar to that of Dissimulation and Toxic Holocaust, but more so Mandibula has its own sound, and so 'Sacrificial Metal Of Death' is one demo many Metal fans should have in their repertoire.  ILL CROW 'Into The Forgotten Spheres' As far as Eastern or Central European Folk Metal goes, the Pagan or Slavic feel lacks here, but also the musical creativity, it seems very dull and wishy-washy, whilst the vocals and keyboards do good for Ill Crow's second demo 'Into The Forgotten Spheres', the rest is undesirable, not exactly the worst metal album but one that needs a lot of redesigning. The demo makes Justin Bieber's music justifiable, let alone sarcastically 'alternative metal'. [4] RHYS STEVENSON  CLANDESTINED 'Ruinatics' BUSDEATH Evaluating the oriental is Japanese ninja's Clandestined and their sensational blast of Death / Thrash Metal, with their 2011 sophomore album 'Ruinatics' comes a sound similar to that of Sepultura but with a pinch more of speed and rawness to complete the sound. Collectively, this release is a decent attempt at making their own sound, whilst the production could have been better, for an underground band this is a fairly ok shot at it. [7] RHYS STEVENSON  DOTMA 'Sleep Paralyses' SCARLET Arising from the shadowy footsteps of fellow countrymen Amberian Dawn is Finland's latest female-fronted Power Metal exports Dotma and their signature tune of heavenly vocals, mystical guitar riffs and sensationally warped drumming to create their debut outing 'Sleep Paralyses'. With elements of Within Temptation in their closets, Dotma ex-cruciate pure bliss in a majestic wave of luscious and soul-soothing melodies, a crystal clear sign of the true power of Finnish power metal. Whilst not has heavy as Sonata Arctica, Dotma are certain to become regulars of Power Metal. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  TREMOR 'South Of Sanity' Progressive Metal, fast and heavy as well as funky and... Caribbean? Trinidad & Tobago Progressive Metallers Tremor hit back with their fourth full length album 'South Of Sanity', clipping together the fast pacey speed of Iron Maiden and heaviness of traditional Prog Metallers. For a band from a region of limited metal music activity, Tremor certainly make themselves self-explanatory, with a rumble of drums, seismic wave-riffs and soul-destroying vocals, this Trinidadian bunch bring on the noise, Tremor is flying the flag for the Trinidad & Tobago Metal scene.  SILENTIUM 'Amortean' DYNAMIC ARTS Finnish Gothic Metal veterans Silentium ravage the darkness of their land to deliver their fifth onslaught of spine-chilling vocals and powerful music in the form of their latest album 'Amortean' released in 2008. Whilst not as soft as fellow countrymen Vanguard, Silentium prove once again why the Finnish goth scene is one to be reckoned with, collecting orchestral chants with swift solos and blastbeats powerful enough to savor, this is one record for any Gothic Metal fan, a true work of inspiration. | 2013
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