VOODOO GODS
'Shrunken Head'
MISANTHROPICA ENTERPRISES

When you feature a septet that resembles a Death / Thrash Metal Armageddon with Nergal of Behemoth on the front line and past members of Morbid Angel, Manowar, Decapitated and Deicide amongst the affray, you know this band is going to be sensational. Enter Florida-based Voodoo Gods and their debut EP 'Shrunken Head', full of the very essence of voodooism from it's Caribbean counterparts, even Baron Samedi could not cope with the brutal force residing here. Grizzly vocals lead the way for the erotic riffs and elaborate drumming to decimate any senses the listener may have, this is something extra special and is sure to attract attention from far and wide. Fuelled by the Gulf of Mexico, this cyclonic storm is strengthening up and is preparing to make a global assault.

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

ACROMONIA
'Human Downfall'

Probably soon to be considered the next best German Melodic Death Metal band on the block, Baden-Württemberg's Acromonia storms out of the gates with their highly promising debut EP 'Human Downfall', awashed with emphatic solo's, ballsy drumming and vocals so deep it would make the nearby church cemetery shake earthquake-style. For fans of Soilwork, Scar Symmetry and Threat Signal, Acromonia's 'Human Downfall' takes the classic sound of Melodic Death Metal, adds their own emphasis on it and triumphantly delivers something so epic, the debut album is already seems promising.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

WANDAR
'Landlose Ufer'

Heathen Black Metal horde Wandar make their full-on battle assault with their debut album 'Landlose Ufer', exclusively singing in their native language of German, the quartet immerse the atmosphere with Germanic paganism and heathen traits, laced with the evil, cold and bitterness of continental Black Metal. Not all German Black Metal bands make their debut as refreshing as they should be and so when coming across 'Landlose Ufer', there is not a lot of negativity that can be scrutinised on, even if the production seems a little weak, the album spits originality and signals an oncoming winter storm as Wandar rebel across the lands.

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

ERA HEX
'New Aeon'

From time to time band's will try to mix genres as extreme as they can and so when four Bavarians lock horns with the intricate sounds of Industrial Death Metal and incorporate elegant sounds of Symphonic Metal, the stage is set for the absolute demise of their debut EP 'New Aeon'. Blasting sonic waves  with the immense velocity delivered by the double bass drumming and smothering it with total technical riffing, harmonious keyboard elements and gritty death metal vocals, you can clearly see a mixture of Scar Symmetry, Shade Empire and Breach The Void. All in all the EP signals that Era Hex, as we know it is the Cyber Metal juggernaut the world has been waiting for.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

DESTINATIONS CALLING
'End Of Time'

Germany's Destination's Calling make their awaited return with their sophomore album 'End Of Time', filled to the brim with Power Metal, this album naturally is your average sounding one in the stated genre. High-pitched vocals, adventurous musical compositions and an all-round feeling of power, 'End Of Time' is an album that will please any fan of Sonata Arctica, Edguy and Dream Theater. The only downside of the album is that it's not long enough (even if it's over fifty minutes long) and it only starts kicking off when track three 'Revolution in Min' comes into play, but in conclusion it is a decent enough album, we'll let the listener make the critical judgements.

[6.5] RHYS STEVENSON

BLEEDING
'Bleeding'

One year in and Hamburg's Bleeding deliver their debut self-titled EP, but the first part of the storm is a bit of a bumpy ride, there are a host of genres wafting and weaving about the release, from Progressive Metal to Power Metal and from Thrash Metal to Modern Rock, there again when you take three musicians and give them a studio, anything can happen. If you had to pigeon-hole this release, simply call it 'experimental funk metal', the rhythm changes every minute and the music ranges from high-pitch belters to low-sounding humdingers. Exclusively this EP can cater for a range of acquired tastes, eventually leaving the listener with 'Bleeding' ears.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

CLEAR SKY NAILSTORM
'Marching Through Darkness'

German Melodic Thrashers Clear Sky Nailstorm emerge out of the sewers with the stench of their infectious and disease-ridden debut EP 'Marching Through Darkness', oozing with confidence and heavy brutality, who said German musicians were only good at Death Metal? Mein gott nein. Clear Sky Nailstorm are exactly what they say are, a heavy downpour of razor-sharp riffs, metallic drumming and two-ton weight vocals, all in all producing a fine piece of musicianship. 'Marching Through Darkness' takes the listener on a ride of their life, from the cascading riffs to the heavy drop of the drumstick, just purely epic.

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

RUNNING DEATH
'The Call Of Extinction'

Bavaria plays host to a number of exceedingly good bands and from time to time there are bands from this part of Germany that deserve (well they all do) to be signed, but Running Death with their neck-breaking Thrash Metal deserve it most, in fact they modernise the already established Teutonic Thrash Metal sub-genre without fault or deviation from the main sound that is expected. Moulding versatility with total brutality, Running Death emerges as one of the finest newcomers of the German metal scene, time will come and this band will be ready for more.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

WINTER IN EDEN
'Echoes Of Betrayal'

Following their debut album, upcoming English Symphonic Gothic Metallers Winter In Eden make their welcomed return with 'Echoes Of Betrayal', their second full-length album loaded with heavenly vocals, dramatic musical composure and dark elegancy at every minute of this gracious release. This is the album that deserves to end in Winter In Eden being signed, the evidence is there that this band have enough potential to overthrow the queen of the Symphonic Gothic Metal throne, that is Within Temptation, with 'Echoes Of Betrayal' now firmly out in the open, the wolves of the forest are packing together, the hunt is on, with a feast of riffs, drum sequences and operatic chanting leading the way, there is nothing that will stop this five-piece leviathan from taking the world by storm.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

AEURTUM
'The Fall'

Hailing from Birmingham, one man project Aeurtum makes his debut album 'The Fall' and whilst the music is fine the vocals lack any real presence, thus leaving the album in a state of being unfinished, well thats how it would seem. Fixing depression and other darker topics as the main point for the lyrics, the music may as well add the same level of depression as it fails to impress, lacking any clear motivation in relation to the fact the melodic death metal has gone awoll and the progressive metal seems a little overused, Aeurtum may as well have just experienced 'The Fall'.

[2] RHYS STEVENSON

ANGELICAL TEARS
'The Eleventh Hour'

Angelical Tears, the oncoming threat from Oklahoma, USA, emerge once again from the darkened abyss and deliver their latest release 'The Eleventh Hour'. Featuring more of the classic Within Temptation and Evanescence combination, the quintet immerse the listener with soothing heavenly vocals, razor-hard riffs and solid drumming in one epic package. Since their self-titled debut, Angelical Tears have torn apart the rulebook and wrote their own sound, layering different elements from different Metal genres and finalising a sound that will captivate any fan of female-fronted bands, this is perhaps the album to get them signed by and as 'The Eleventh Hour' strikes, four tornadoes spawn, ready to strike the heart of the everyday metal fan.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

DARK THEORY
'Bludgeon'

Hailing from the county known as the garden of England, Kent quartet Dark Theory cultivate patches of poison ivy and record the cold and bitter screams provoked by their victims, of course their EP 'Bludgeon' hosts a myriad of different genres, but the main core sound is truly Gothic Black Metal. Sure the first sound of drum 'n' bass gives a startling impression, but buy time and moving onto 'Vampires Pain' and the more modern sound kicks in, modern albeit the obvious Victorian Gothic Metal influence and naturally the bitter sweetness of Olivia's backing vocals, but needless to say that Ryan finishes off with some gruelling vocals, was just the start of 'Bludgeon', as it is a tale of two halves, but the latter is to take Dark Theory into the legions of bands like Theatres des Vampires, Darkwell, The Furious Horde and Cradle Of Filth. If you thought Kent was all about roaming fields, go forth; just don't disturb the graveyards, for the Dark Theory is soon to curse the lands.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

CIRCLES LINE
'Promo 2012'

Residing in the lap of the gods, Circles Lane mix traditional Greek sounds with their classic Heavy Metal composition, sure this is nothing new but it still has a twinkle about it. Their debut demo entitled 'Promo 2012' delivers the classic Bruce Dickinson high-pitch vocals and the standard signature tune to the Heavy Metal genre, the riffs are of the Speed Metal guild and yet the overall production is as classic as it can get. If you're expecting free-flowing music and differentiation, think again, Circles Line will appeal to those fans of the classic side of metal but for the modern generation, this wouldn't be for you.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

VINDICATOR
'United We Fall'
SLANEY

American Thrash Metal, seems to be loaded with the same ole lyrics, musical composure and atmosphere, Vindicator is no different. Fusing the topics of nuclear war, zombies and violence to their unique sound of Teutonic (German) Thrash Metal and old school Death Metal double-bass drumming, this is a band full of imagination and it shows on their third album 'United We Fall', riff after riff, the Ohio quartet smash through the sound barrier to deliver a face-punching sound of classic Thrash Metal. Get ready to sh*t your pants, this is the sound to tear the political manifesto's apart.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

ESSENCE OF DATUM
'I Am Alpha & Omega'

Possibly the metal band the Eastern European nation of Belarus has been waiting for to lift the scene into further recognition, Essence Of Datum go completely instrumental on their 2012 promo 'I Am Alpha & Omega' and do it absolutely perfect. Mixing Technical melodies with the embodiment of solid grizzly Death Metal, the trio dive into the fountain of experimentation and blast out in exciting fashion, full of cracking riffs and emphatic solo's, 'I Am Alpha & Omega' is a release that belongs in any metal fan's arsenal, think you know guitars, blastbeats and technical compositions? Wait till Essence Of Datum smash your skill in, as you realise 'I Am Alpha & Omega' and everyone else is subordinate.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

NYCTICORAX
'Black Raven... Dark Night' + 'Anima Tenebrarum'

2006 saw the sophomore album by Latvian quartet Nycticorax come to haunt the hallowed lands of Eastern Europe with their unique style of Vampiric Black Metal. 'Black Raven... Dark Night' is immersed in the Gothic atmosphere Riga offers to it's folk, Nycticorax latched onto that energy feed and sent out truly dark musical messages in Latvian and Russian alike, using the classic shriek of the Black Metal infrastructure, the atmosphere revolves around the haunted lands of Dracula and ousts the light with a full on blast of True Latvian Black Metal. From the dark mysticism of this hallowed band and the outgoing audio sounds of Vampiric Black Metal, it would be interesting to see how Nycticorax evolves from this.

Forwarding the clocks to 2011 and Latvian Black Metallers Nycticorax return to terrorise Europe once again, this time it's their third album 'Anima Tenebrarum' that delivers the cold and bitter taste of vampirism in it's true form. Pulsating drums coat the vocals in an infectious disease, so deadly it makes the old Soviet regime look as weak as a plastic ruler, but that's not to say that this Latvian band are of the sort, in fact Nycticorax are due to take the Latvian Metal scene to newer heights, with 'Anima Tenebrarum' now firmly set on powering the band onto newer styles of their already constructed Vampiric Black Metal, nothing is going to stop this mammoth machine.

[7] + [8] RHYS STEVENSON

RAJFAJH
'The True Nation'

Probably time to close this band down, twenty years have passed and coming to their 2012 EP you'd find more entertainment elsewhere. The typical shriek, muffed riff and nearly-heard blastbeat are the three factors that dominate this release; however it cannot be totally condoned; at least it features a ambient feel to it, but the sort that may take time to get used to. 'The True Nation' if you take it seriously could refer to a pagan or nationalist sentiment and so the latter could upset certain people, albeit the fact that the band name is closely linked to either the Arabic or central Asian languages and so the product is somewhat intriguing.

[4.5] RHYS STEVENSON

COLDBLOOD
'Under The Blade I Die' + 'The Other Gods'

2007 saw the debut album by Brazilian old-school Death Metal quartet Coldblood emerge from the pits of the Amazon and swamp the country in a swathe of Satanic Anti-Christianity. 'Under The Blade I Die' features toned down riffs come and going like a scythe slicing open the hearing sense with a sonic blast of irresistable blastbeats and guttural vocals as the perfect accompynants, as for Coldblood this was a new step in their band's existance and became a pivotal point in their musical direction, or did it? Regardless, 'Under The Blade I Die' is a solid performance of relenting Death Metal and is sure to batter anyone's brains to death.

So when it came to present day and the year 2012 was calling, Coldblood released their first ever EP 'The Other Gods', much like the debut album except the production and quality is far superior on the EP. Plus strangely for an EP, this lasts over an hour and thus the listener is buried amongst a ton of really intricate and lush old school Death Metal once again. From the bizarre and creepy instrumentals like 'Before the Last Breath' to absolute face-melters like Reincarnating A New Black God, 'The Other Gods' is an example of pure brilliance and is sure to push Coldblood onto further releases in their twenty-year career (achieved this year).

[7] + [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

ASCENDED DEAD
'Ascended Dead (Demo I)'

You cannot help but to think that the debut demo by Californian Death Metallers Ascended Dead was intended for raw publication only, even though released on a tape and at large deliver so-low produced music that it would take the 2020 version of the Dolby Digital System to even register the output at level 2 on the dial. Sure the release is not a total silent production, but as for its overall perception there is much more to be done before the band embark on trying to deliver their music to the masses. After all this is a sound that's meant to be depressive, occult-loaded and darkening, instead it may as well be dubbed 'bizarre'

[3] RHYS STEVENSON

MARTYRD
'The Mortal Coil'

As bright as that classic New York sunrise, Thrash maniacs Martyrd make their welcomed return to deliver 'The Mortal Coil', a futile collection of modernised Thrash Metal tracks, designed to outwit the preconceived ideas the artwork delivers. Capturing influential essences from the likes of Dream Theater, Symphony X, Testament and Metallica, Martyrd are setting themselves up to become the next band to emerge from the metropolis of American Thrash Metal. With their infectious riffs shredding through the human senses like a pack of wolves on their midnight hunt and the drums providing a solid base whilst the vocals power the album forward into a sense of total destruction, the next stop is going to be an interesting one, 'The Mortal Coil' could very well be the album that see's them get a record deal.

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

WANTED INC.
'Demons We Created'

Teutonic Thrash Metal quartet make their second album sound sweet, they forget to put the cherry on the cake, that said 'Demons We Created' qualifies as a break-neck release. From start to finish, the five-piece blast holes in the silence around with the echoing sounds of the guitars, riffing up like a chainsaw about to desecrate the Bavarian forests whilst the vocals and drums deliver a sound only a V12 could equate to. This is an album full of everything, full of angst, breakdowns, quirky riffs and pure German engineering; sure it's nothing on the scale of Holy Moses, but it will please fans of Evile, Blood Tsunami and Testament. As for Wanted Inc. they could be the band Germany has been waiting for, a breath of fresh air.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

BLACK HAMMER
'Darker Days Will Come'
FORGOTTEN WISDOM PRODS.

2012 sees the premier EP release of French one-man project Black Hammer, 'Darker Days Will Come' explodes and ignites with the infinite dark sound of classic Blackened Thrash Metal produced by the musical magician known as The Iron Messiah. The music itself is raw and gruesome, just the way its meant to be, the vocals however are raspy and chilling, thus bringing into the affray an abysmal outburst of blackened horror, so evil it would make the French revolution look like a tea party. 'Darker Days Will Come' is designed for fans of Dissimulation, Aura Noir and Toxic Holocaust, even so 'Darker Days Will Come' and that's a fact.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

DEUS IGNOTUS
'Christmation'
FORGOTTEN WISDOM PRODS.

Well apparently it seems that due to the financial situation in Greece that the metal scene is getting darker, as seen by the recent release by Black Metal duo Deus Ignotus, their debut album 'Christmation' has what Black Metal already is, fast drumming, sensational blastbeats and evil vocals, so there is really nothing new here at all, still it cannot be knocked as not a good release, it is brimming with technical playing at every minute and is sure to please many amongst the Black Metal subgenre, as for the band this is the beginning of something epic, something more epic than Mayhem.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

ANWYNN
'Forbidden Songs'
M & O MUSIC

Now this is the sort of band to uplift the Belgian Metal scene, mixing together a myriad of metal styles to construct what we perceive as 'Angelic Heavy Metal', their debut album 'Forbidden Songs' takes pinches from Death Metal, Melodic and Symphonic Metal, Progressive Metal and Gothic Metal, so there is something for everyone, but don't let the soft genres fool you, the Death Metal vocals are as brutal as a warm pint of Leffe. 'Forbidden Songs' delivers an onslaught of majestic music, brilliantly executed vocals and delinquent melodies, this is the album to set this lot off on a storm across Europe, the time has come, Anwynn are set to take the Belgian Metal scene to new heights. 'Forbidden Songs' is an album which fans of Izegrim, Arcane Grail and Diabulus In Musica will like.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

ACYL
'Algebra'
M & O Music

Mixing traditional Algerian and North African / Arabian sounds with the Progressive Metal sounds of the French metal scene is dual-nationality quartet Acyl with their genius debut album 'Algebra'. Authentic in every way, 'Algebra' provides listeners with a taste for original Arabian sounds and brings the atmosphere of being in the sands to life. With a percussive beat giving a dance feel and the vocals delivering that harsh and ambient feel to the music, all in all resulting in a release that has enough originality in it to be called innovative. 'Algebra' is a release that will please fans of Myrath, Orphaned Land and Anagesia.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

FENRIR
'Echoes Of The Wolf'

From time to time you can be assured of specialist metal bands to arise from the depths of the abyss, so when Fenrir appear on the radar with their debut album 'Echoes Of The Wolf', you get the instantaneous pre-conceived idea its going to be a Folk Metal album, quite the contrary, in fact to be specific with the violin driving the melodies, the vocals providing heavenly choruses and the basic foundation of a metal band providing a solid backbone to the band, this is clearly the best Celtic Metal band France has ever produced. Laden with joy, adventures and sensational musicianship, the sextet from Nancy conduct a formula that any ancient druid would be baffled by, dragging the listener into the ancient times of Gaul and enriching their senses with what can be claimed as French Metal album of the year.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

NAHUM
'The Gates Are Open'

It has to be said that Nahum's debut album 'The Gates Are Open' lacks any real vibrancy, sure the Melodic Death Metal / Thrash Metal combo plays well, but the overall feeling is that the vocals don't change level and so thus leave it with a set method of performance, however the music does offer some unique sound shifts especially on 'Equal', but for the Czech quartet the album in question is not a be all end all, for it does have mind-blowing drumming and heart-breaking riffs, so there are at times good and bad points, but the overall reception is a fairly positive one. It has sounds for every sort of metal fan, 'The Gates Are Open' and Nahum is 'nearly' ready to slaughter Europe.

[6] 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

_ RAVENLAND
'And A Crow Brings Me Back'
FREE MIND / RAVENHEART

As dark and mysterious as the forests of the South American continent, the 2009 debut album release by Brazilian Gothic Metal quintet (now sextet) Ravenland. 'And A Crow Brings Me Back' utilises much of the Bauhaus / Poisonblack sound, but whilst their lies no real feminine feel to the release, the male vocals dominate as well as accentuate the supporting music into complete overdrive, this is perhaps a cliché when referring to the politeness of the Brazilians of which is deemed better than most Europeans, but whilst the music conveys a shadowy message, the overall release is one of question and somewhat confounding.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

ONLY FATE REMAINS
'Breathe'
RAVENHEART

This is the storm that the Netherlands has long been waiting for, a force to be reckoned with and one to knock the Dutch Metal scene into full throttle, this of course is the Gothic Metal quintet Only Fate Remains and their absolutely outstanding and beautifully crafted debut album 'Breathe'. With clear background symphonies and vocals in the style of Within Temptation, it seems to be that this Amsterdam five-piece have what it takes to dethrone Within Temptation cleanly. It has darkness, it has timed notes, it has erotic-covered atmosphere and a sense of being rooted in the rock sense with the Clan Of Xymox, none the less 'Breathe' is definitely Dutch Metal album of the year.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

WEEPING SILENCE
'Theatre Of Life'
RAVENHEART

2011 marks the return of Malta's most loved Gothic Doom Metal band Weeping Silence, who unleash their sophomore album 'Theatre Of Life' to the masses and in sensational style, with heavenly vocals guiding the band to the perfect tune, the keyboard notes add a more darker Gothic feel to the music, whilst the drums and guitars follow lead, but in all seriousness, it would seem the Doom Metal is not really present, that ironically is a good thing, for the style of music Weeping Silence demonstrate on 'Theatre Of Life', it would be awful to marry it up with any more Doom Metal, but as it is, this is definitely Maltese Metal album of the year.

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

SILENT OPERA
'Immortal Beauty'
RAVENHEART

As beautiful as the sopranos of ancient Rome and as majestic as long-gone Pavarotti, the Italian Symphonic Metal outfit Silent Opera make their notes count with their dramatic and theatrical debut album 'Immortal Beauty', featuring operatic vocals powerful enough to challenge Therion to a duel, but yet the vocals are so heavenly, the listener is easily captivated by the soft, soothing sounds of the music and vocals. The outfits depicted in the album release signify the elegancy of the Italian renaissance and at that the music delivers the final touches. Symphonies flow like a cascading waterfall and the stage provides the perfect dramatic setting, Silent Opera is due to take Europe by storm.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

FALLEN FATE
'The Virus Has Spread'

With clear influences of Lamb Of God and Thrash-neck speed influence of Slayer, English Thrash crackpots Fallen Fate explode onto the scene with their insanely blitzing debut album 'The Virus Has Spread'. Fast, brutal and sensationally bombastic, the quartet from County Durham bring out the mentally challenging and pummelling sound of Thrash riffs in quick succession whilst whipping in solo's found in such Lamb Of God tracks i.e. 'walk with me in hell', the guitar intro is similar to that of Fallen Fate's 'Origin of Sin' solo. With breakdowns also in the wing, this is potentially the new style to craze the underground into complete overdrive, hail the Thrashcore; this is because 'The Virus Has Spread'.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON