_ CRESCENT LAMENT
'Behind The Lethal Deceit'

Eclipsing the moonlight on dark nights is the sounds of Crescent Lament's debut album 'Behind The Lethal Deceit', sounding extremely superior to their previous two releases (demo and EP), the Taiwanese septet immerse the listener with anguish amongst all darkened emotions. Captivated by the soul-soothing vocals of Muer Chou and intricacy from the backdrop musicians of which comprises of the usual guitarists, bassist, drummer and keyboardist as well as a special appearance by violinist Heven Chang. This debut delicacy of pure Taiwanese musicianship’s and heavenly feminine melodies is surely to change the direction of the swinging pendulum; Crescent Lament is set to take the world by storm.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

ANKOR
'My Own Angel'
STF

Catalonian Heavy Power Metal sextet Ankor make their return extra special, that being in reference to their majestic and all-so intricate sophomore album 'My Own Angel'. From raging waterfalls in the mountains to desert racing in the plains of Spain, Ankor will take you on a magical journey that not even Disney could conjur up, providing the perfect accompiment to the El Clásico experienced in Spanish football. Dynamic vocals arising from the depths of the abyss collide with graceful music from the heavens to produce a beautiful piece of exciting music, without a doubt 'My Own Angel' is Spanish Metal album of the year.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

_ DARKMOON
'Wounds'
STF

Firing on all cylinders is Swiss mosh-bombardiers Darkmoon with their third album assault, 'Wounds' deploys the combined sound of Black and Death Metal to such an extent, this is perhaps a toned down version of Behemoth, but whilst that may sound apt, the music is just as brutal as rottweilers savaging a gang of chickens, ruthlessly and brutally. For the quintet from Hölstein this is perhaps the pivotal moment in their existence, rallying a futile blast of unimaginable proportions. Darkmoon is without a doubt, Switzerland's most kept secret until now, the evil has just turned nasty.

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

_ ASGAIA
'Trinegra'
STF

Battling their way through the forests and wilderness of the Melodic Death minefield, Germany's Asgaia offer a unique twist on the common genre with some ambiance and coldness in their music, similar to that of Latvia's Preternatural. Mystical and eclectic best suit this quintet's third album 'Trinegra', by diverging away from the rules of the genre and adding their own unique sound to the affray. Pummelling drums encase the atmospheric in a shroud of bizarreness and almost near sci-fi embodiment. Asgaia are sure to become a storm in the German Metal scene and with this effort, they are ready to smother Europe, watch this band at all costs.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

_ ELIZIUM
'Relief By The Sun'
STF

In their 20th year of existence, the underground yet-long-serving Gothic Doom quintet Elizium make their sophomore album somewhat worth the wait, by far not the greatest Gothic Doom release yet it has a persona to it in relation to the atmosphere produced - such that depression easily seeps in. For the Dutch quintet this is another step, but for the listener this may well be the last step before untolled suicide. Whilst conventionally short in length to most Doom Metal albums, 'Relief By The Sun' has a darkened feel instead, but lacks creativity here and there, ideally this release is for those Gothic Doom diehards, but not necessarily the average metal fan, just don't expect the release to make tracks.

[3.5] RHYS STEVENSON

BLAIR WITCH
'Imprecation'

Arising from the darkened countryside of the island country of Taiwan is quintet (male guitarist Chiang joined later) Blair Witch, with four females leading the way. Sad to say they are going on hiatus, but that does not deter the fact this is possibly the best Black Metal album to come out of Taiwan in ages (albeit ChthoniC), mixing clear Carpathian Forest sounds with the ferocity of the Taiwanese culture, Blair Witch are in their own league and with their debut EP 'Imprecation' giving all the green lights to state this is a band that clearly has the musicianship powerful enough to overthrow Taiwanese Metal leaders ChthoniC, is pretty much the truth. Blair Witch, brings a whole new level of darkness, with that in mind, Taiwan has spoken.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

NIOBETH
'Silvery Moonbeams'

What is it with Gothic Metal and the Spanish that seems to make both worth without error or fault? Niobeth, the Symphonic / Progressive Gothic Metal quartet from Spain make their long-awaited return with their sophomore album 'Silvery Moonbeams', twisting the atmosphere like unravelling wrapped sweets with the taste of el classico being amidst the elegancy of this band, such dramatic music would provide the apt soundtrack to the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona fiasco. Sounding similar to that of Dutch band Within Temptation, this Spanish lot are sure to make a name for themselves if not an attractive gem to major labels.

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

_ CRYSALYS
'The Awakening Of Gaia'
AURAL MUSIC

As majestic as the great soprano's hitting the high notes in the coliseums, Italy's Gothic Metalcore magicians Crysalys weave a sensual and emotional stream of operatic vocals in the form of Therion-cross-Nightwish whilst being embodied by the brutality of Metalcore. After eight years their long awaited debut album took full flight and delivers a heavenly outburst of dominant female vocals and a solid backbone of riffs, crushing drumming and an atmosphere rivalling any dramatic spills found in the Inter Milan vs. AC Milan riposte. Crysalys are leading the way forward for the darkened side of the once criticised music genre, for the Italian band it is only just the beginning.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

TERRORDOME
'We'll Show You Mosh, Bitch!'
DEFENSE

Polish crackpots Terrordome give the all out nuclear blast with their debut album 'We'll Show You Mosh, Bitch!', laying tight riffs, mentally bruising drumming and soul-ripping vocals, the Brutal Thrashers rage out of the stables with a monstrous thundering of apocalyptic audio-waves. Whilst conventionally the vocals are not really clear, the music gives its fair share of absolute precise composition. In the end, although an extremely brutal and heavy release, the downside lies with the vocals, but this will not deter the band from making a long-lasted impression.

[6.5] RHYS STEVENSON

_ RATZINGER
'2012'
DIGIMETALWORDL / AUSTRALIS

This is the sophomore album from Chilean Groove Thrash merchants Ratzinger, flinging a whirlwind of neck-breaking thrash with groove elements to sound out an utter cataclysmic explosion of South American metal. '2012' may serve as a literal precedent to the year 2012, but whilst that may remain as an opinion, the fact lies within the truth that Ratzinger is perhaps the best Thrash Metal band in the Chilean Metal scene. Whilst the vocals sadly are not the greatest, the music fails to let down and so rescues the album in its near entirety; but definitely an album worth checking out.

[7] 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