AUTUMN SUN 'Autumn Sun' Emerging from the dark shadows of Gauteng is South African Gothic / Melodic Death Metal quartet Autumn Sun with their self-titled album (presumably debut), featuring a fast blast of racy tracks to inflame any ears with a burning sensation. Whilst the Melodic Death Metal takes the reigns, the Gothic Metal sits softly in the background in the form of soft female vocals and harmonic keyboard notes which moulds to become a true entrancing mix of ingenious musicianship. Autumn Sun are set to become a promising band in the South African Metal scene and are sure to gain global attention. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON DEMORIAN 'Back To the Glorious Past’ + 'Vikingpath' + Excerpt from upcoming album "Excerpt From A Diary" AZERMEDOTH / KVLT666 / DANGER OF DEATH Demorian is a Swedish Black Metal duo compromising of Salute Record’s owner as one of the musicians. Crisp Swedish Black Metal is produced from the speakers as well as a cold and bitter atmosphere. Winter has come with their debut album 'Back To the Glorious Past’ released back in 2009 as darkness encases the room and a cold wintry wind blasts around resembling the powerful sonata’s produced by the music. Their second album 'Vikingpath' released last year in only 66 copies, brings more of their darkened souls to the frontline, cursing the shadows of Pagan Black Metal and it's nature counterpart, Demorian perform an unholy ritual to summon the darker sounds once again, with a fetish for raw sounds and atmospheric senses being unbound to the Swedish Black Metal scene, Demorian revel in the abyss. Finishing off with a little sampler is their unreleased tracks 'Excerpt From A Diary' and 'Prypiat Angels' (referring to the ghost town near the Chernobyl area in the Ukraine), colder and bitterer than previous works, this is a sumptuous pre-listener in relation to their upcoming album, a subtle but apt enough proof that Demorian has just begun. [7] + [8] + [8] RHYS STEVENSON DESIGN THE SKYLINE 'Neveah' VICTORY Revered as one of the most hated band in history, but in all honesty that's just people's jealousy. In comes Design The Skyline, an American septet mixing a whole new genre from separate individual tastes, if Design The Skyline was a recipe it would either equate to the full American breakfast or the traditional English roast - they are not edible, just to clarify. Essentially listeners will realize a myriad of music genres meld into one tune, but this in itself seems to have worked out perfectly. Catering for the many emotions humans feel, this Corpus Christi band takes the listener on a journey through space, time, emotions and general life itself, cascading the many atrocities and numerous positives experienced during a lifetime. Since their demo song 'Surrounded By Silence' - of which was dubbed 'electro-Deathcore', the band has finely tuned and tweaked their sounds to fit neatly in line with the other sounds as seen on the song 'break free from your life' - having slow and fast trance periods amongst generic Metalcore-ish drum patterns. What puts people off is the scene / emo look, but don't forget these bands: Lordi, Black Veil Brides, Marilyn Manson amongst others, totally proven their critics wrong and eradicated any prejudicial beings from the face of the planet. Intellectually without the hate, perhaps the publicity would not have been as grand, but that's just a possibility for it should be seen that all the tracks on this album cater for a wide array of music tastes: trance music, post-hardcore, Deathcore, Metalcore, Industrial / Thrash Metal (as seen on 'reality away'), Mathcore and even technical Deathcore if precision is required. Regardless of the negativity, Design The Skyline are pioneers of a new sound, essentially 'Experimental Electro-Deathcore' and with that in mind are set to push the boundaries further and further, the storm has just begun, 'Neveah' was just the artillery, bring on the tank infantry. [10] RHYS STEVENSON DISHARMONIC 'Impossible' The first ever song unleashed by Spanish (Andalusian) Death Metal trio Disharmonic qualifies as an absolute hell-blazer, fanatical drumming simmers in the background with the force of 1000 raging bulls whilst the matadors Bao Brurial, Javi and Kike tame the beast they have created. Residing within the Brutal Death Metal intonation, Disharmonic fail not to up their ante and give their first attempt and release a proper erotic beating, forged with influences from the fast and heavy Scandinavian Death Metal scene, they use that as a foundation but add the Iberian and Mediterranean heavy hardness to the affray and result in what is billed as possibly the best ever release by a Spanish Metal band in 2011. [9] RHYS STEVENSON ELDERGAAD
'Children Of Gaad' If Eldergaad was a football team they would be Liverpool FC, up and down all the time. The American Thrash Metal quartet emerges with their debut album 'Children Of Gaad' with as much sleaze and difference than Slayer and Megadeth would have. Whilst not exactly fast on some tracks, the heaviness is still there, yet it sounds similar to that of Slayer. However they do exert a sound that suits them to the bone, one sound that is different and yet strangely bizarre in that the speed of each song changes from riff to riff, so with little consistency this is soon to be a 'what just happened' album. None the less this is a band who could easily get noticed, expect whiplash from this album to be imminent though, [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON
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MODUS DELICTI 'Nobody' COMATOSE Promising Italian Brutal Death Grindsters Modus Delicti unleash a torrent of hell with their debut album 'Nobody' with a slice of extreme vocals and drums to compliment the near-gone guitars. Whilst the album itself offers a piece of bizarre music, the overall product is a mass combination of noisy vocals and furious musical compositions which together rival the very essence of musical creativity. 'Nobody' although nothing new is one of those albums that is still good however. [7] RHYS STEVENSON ANTROPOFAGUS / PUTRIDITY / PRION / INFECTED FLESH / MASS INFECTION 'Split Torso Trauma' COMATOSE Combining all forms of flesh from sickening Spain, icky Italy, aortic Argentina and gory Greece is some of the Brutal Death Metal underground storm-troopers, although it has a variety of bands on song, the general sound is there, so more so like a 5-band split compilation rather than a split, essentially a split for which caters for all various extreme tastes of Death Metal in its entirety. Full on mind-blowing sonic beats of pure drumming, outrageous riffs and vicious vocals, this is practically all that can be said about this release. [8 - across the board] FACE OF OBLIVION 'The Embers Of Man' COMATOSE Apocalyptic American Death Metal mob Face Of Oblivion unleash insanity and brutality in all demoralizing forms to cause unsightly chaos on all levels of extremity. With their debut full-length album 'The Embers Of Man' the motion of sickening vocals and down-tuned guitars electrify the barely noticed drumming compositions exerted by this quintet, overall this album is a mystifying array of mindless torture, cursing mass murdering and fearless anguish, 'The Embers Of Man' is seemingly apt to be dubbed the goriest album of 2011. [8] RHYS STEVENSON I CHAOS 'The Human Repellent' RITF Dutch Brutal Death Metal newcomers I Chaos quickly become a powerful force striving in the underground with their ear-shattering debut album 'The Human Repellent', whisking together a heavy punch of bone-crushing drumming and flesh-ripping riffs amongst gut-gurgling vocals, I Chaos is to become the next extreme act from the land of windmills and flowers, make no mistake this quartet mean violent business and should be taken with a pinch of precise warning, this music is not for soft metal listeners, I Chaos is 'The Human Repellent'. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON ABINCHOVA
'Versteckte Pfade' Valiantly galloping over the Swiss Alps and around the beautiful Matterhorn is Swiss Melodic Death / Folk Metal septet Abinchova, whilst not as heavy or folk-orientated as fellow countrymen Eluveitie, Abinchova instead implement their native sound via the lovely sound of violins and so devise their own sound. Sort of traditional folk meets the modern sound of metal in this twisted debut album named 'Versteckte Pfade' (roughly translated as hidden path), but with this in their arsenal, Abinchova are a band just waiting to explode into the wider Metal scene. [8] RHYS STEVENSON ABORTED FETUS 'Fatal Dogmatic Damage' COMATOSE Taking back time to 2010 is as bad as seeing a massacre unfold in front of you, but for Russia's Brutal Death trio Aborted Fetus, 2010 was a time to give the second coming, inevitably their second full-length album 'Fatal Dogmatic Damage' came with a tour-de-force so heavy and mentally brutal it is guaranteed to blow speakers up on level 1. Blistering drumming is the main focal point amongst the generic Grindcore vocals or aka noise, a blending of furious riffs, double bass drumming and squeaky vocals elaborate to unleash a sickening feeling of regurgitating vomit, a truly sick and twisted release, not for the faint of heart. [8] RHYS STEVENSON DISFIGURED 'Amputated Gorewhore' COMATOSE American 'Brutal' Death Metal merchants Disfigured come back with a guttural onslaught of stomach-rotting sounds and brain-whipping brutality, sombre enough to cause any diarrhoea to become mass hysteria in the most gory form. Whilst unconventional in it's unbelievable power of growling and noise-churning, Disfigured's latest sonic wave of balls-crushing Death Metal burns alive any resistance developed against this band and essentially proves to be a hard-knuckle album, 'Amputated Gorewhore' is a 2011 manifesto of gore, brutality and hard-hitting metal. [8] RHYS STEVENSON BLOODSOAKED 'The Death Of Hope' COMATOSE A decent effort from one man project Bloodsoaked, but whilst the music does justice, the vocals lack a ample amount of growling, so realistically this is a Metal album practically going nowhere, whilst the vocals seem to have some effort, the result is rather diabolical, the drumming though is as fast as a machine gun on steroids, blasting through the air like a falcon in dive-bomb mode, the guitars offer excitement in the ways of shredding, riffs and sexy choppiness, but overall this is an album gone AWOL, definitely aptly titled as 'The Death Of Hope' [5.5] RHYS STEVENSON REGURGITATION 'Clitoraldectomy' COMATOSE A solid display of Brutal Death Metal immersed within the glorified tombs of sickness and customized medical verbatim. This is the 2002 demo by Ohio quartet Regurgitation, a right mob of sickness and disgust, in all levels of homeopathy. Featuring a sick and sleek array of riffs and drumming to complete some of the most vile vocals ever heard, bordering onto Goregrind essentially with a motive to commit sensational hearing problems on all audio dimensions. This is by far a sophisticated work of extraordinary musicianship and one demo for any Extreme Metal fan; just don't expect any mercy to come from this. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON DYSENTERY
'Internal Devastation' COMATOSE American Brutal Death city-goers Dysentery immerse themselves in the sounds of the Massachusetts sewers, swathed in dirt, sewage and down-right gore horror. Emphatic as one would deem it to be, sensational is what others may call it, but their sophomore album 'Internal Devastation' offers little in the way of unclaimed mercy, a pummeling exertion of blistering-paced drumming in collision with down-the-sink vocals and flesh-rotting riffs, so sickening it makes any hospital ward seem like a holiday camp. A truly evil and disgusting piece of work, a narcotic on parallel courses. [7.5] 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 EXCRECOR 'Synchronicity' With a slight of hand comes the Americans new wave of tantalizing Melodic Death Metal, with their debut EP 'Synchronicity' released last year, it is no surprise that New Hampshire quartet Excrecor are tipped off as the next band to feel the force of popularity. With a stiff backbone of sumptuous drumming and elegant riffs, there is no reason to why this EP has nothing wrong with it, if this is a signal of a new oncoming, then that signal carries all but a warning of 'Synchronicity'. [8] RHYS STEVENSON TERROR INSIDE 'Sumerki Razuma' IROND Terror Inside the new Russian Death Metal newcomers alleviate all potential negativity with their hard-worked debut album 'Sumerki Razuma' released back in 2009, with a solid wave of Russian language-tinged Death Metal and brutality powerful enough to overthrow the many Russian oligarchs, Terror Inside are preparing to unleash their next blast of sonic music, this time with a heftier warning of mass ear damage. [8] RHYS STEVENSON ZOMBIFIED 'Outbreak' GRINDSCENE Arising from Belfast cemetery is Zombie-fetish band Zombified with their grizzly guttural Death Metal emanating from the speakers in spine-tingling fashion, whilst the music does justice, the vocals could be worked a little better, but essentially their debut EP 'Outbreak' released in 2010 is not a bad one, just a little bit disappointing, still one release with much in stock for raw Death Metal lovers and especially fans in the Northern Irish Metal scene. [7] RHYS STEVENSON IMMANIFEST 'Qliphotic' Floridian Symphonic Blackened Death Metallers Immanifest arise from the Tampa darkness to unleash a secular exemplar of sensational religious-tinged extreme metal, with their debut EP 'Qliphotic' released last year, it carries a significant alliance of evil, occultist preaching and sensational compositions to provide a basic structure for what is billed as one of Florida's darkest metal releases of all time, Immanifest are set to rival Russia's Arcane Grail and deliver a spectacular array of mysticism, metal and evil genius. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON TRUE MIND
'No Redemption' Symphonic Gothic Metal newcomers True Mind release their debut demo 'No Redemption' in 2010 with a standing innovation of dark Transylvanian Gothic traits amongst symphonic vocals and soothing melodies, the Romanian quartet bring to life the darkness found within the rural spots of this Eastern European nation, essentially bringing the best of their culture with it, without a doubt the natural contender to rival the Dutch veterans Within Temptation and to challenge novices Amberian Dawn from Finland and Aperion from Slovenia, True Mind has 'No Redemption' whatsoever. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON FORNOST ARNOR 'The Death Of A Rose' WITCH KING Returning with their emotional lyrics and solid Progressive Metal composures is Colchester / Peterborough based Fornost Arnor with their sophomore album 'The Death Of A Rose', it sees a variation in track lengths, all of which adhere to the Progressive Metal conduct and classification, whilst inserting their own slant on it, essentially the deep vocals and fast drumming, so would this also classify for epic metal too? None the less, Fornost Arnor insist on the choppy changing of musical compositions and as such sometimes leave the atmosphere tasteless, 'The Death Of A Rose' is a decent attempt, but falls short of a classic. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON ASTARIUM 'On The Edge Of Chasm' SATANARSA So Russian Symphonic Black Metal is revered as raw, atmospheric and sensational, in Astarium's case it falls short of gloriously audible, unclear vocals lack even the slightest glimpse of rawness and leave the questionable drums to deal with its own matters, questionable as in is it a drum machine? The only conciliation resides within symphonies emanating from the keyboards, but apart from that, this being a debut album is a sensational cause for concern in the most abrupt of Black Metal cases. [3] RHYS STEVENSON LIVING DECAY 'Doomed To Last' DARK DESCENT American 'raw' Death Metallers Living Decay unleash hell and gore with their debut 2010 EP 'Doomed To Last', with a chasm of riffs and apocalyptic blastbeats, this is one band who could potentially make it onto the mainstream bandwagon, albeit the vocals being at parts reminiscent of acute constipation, the overall commodity tantalizes listeners into a psychedelic blend of genius and eccentric music, as the run of the mill goes, with a musical level of intelligence rivalling fellow countrymen Cannibal Corpse, Living Decay is 'Doomed To Last'. [7] RHYS STEVENSON IDEAS 'Fõnix / Phoenix' NAIL Hungarian Melodic Gothic Doomsters return with number five, their full-length album 'Fõnix / Phoenix' released back in 2008, it features a soothing combination of Hungarian lyrics and near-Slavic melodies, but essentially a creative mix of Within Temptation-cross-Arkona. With a blitz of sensual melodies and emphatic riffs encased by a steady drum beat, this is another living fact that the Hungarian Metal scene is always producing unique talent and Ideas is no exception, bringing out the best of their native culture and relating it to Metal music, Ideas will become a Hungarian legend like fellow countrymen Tormentor. [10] RHYS STEVENSON BLACK VEIL BRIDES
'Set The World On Fire' UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC Rising American maestro's of Gothic-tinged Metalcore Black Veil Brides call their second serving of glamor, Gothic aesthetics and heavy rock & roll with their sophomore full-length 'Set The World On Fire'. With fast and heavy tracks like 'New Religion' being wedged on top of classic rock sounds like 'Fallen Angels', this is another classic reason to why music is boundless to creativity. Whilst overall as not heavy as their debut in terms of vocals, the L.A. rockers take the glitz and beauty of their home town and reincarnate it into a blitzing storm of darkness, KISS and rocker couture, this is a sign of more to come, is the world ready for it? As Black Veil Brides continue to 'Set The World On Fire'. [9] RHYS STEVENSON FRANTIC AMBER 'Wrath Of Judgement' Gothic in visualization, Melodic Death Metal in sound, Sweden's all-female newcomers Frantic Amber revolt in the underground with beautiful extremities and insane brutal force, their debut EP 'Wrath Of Judgement' released in 2010 is slower and more heavier than Scar Symmetry and Arch Enemy put together, slick riffs, gritty vocals and riotous drumming sizzle altogether on this juicy debut, Frantic Amber are not your average Gothic-tinged Swedish girls, they are five Angela Gossow's, only heavier. [8] RHYS STEVENSON ILL NINO 'Dead New World' VICTORY Latin Metal veterans Ill Nino return with the blast of Latino fury and heavy metal balls, immaculate compositions on their latest and 2010 album 'Dead New World', weaving their way between Latino-influenced Nu Metal and Metalcore, sounding like a crossover of Sepultura and Lamb Of God, with an array of bandmembers of different nationalities, the influences differ from song to song, but keeping to a nu metalcore approach, this is a funky album with so much riding on it in terms of legacy, fuelled by their signing with Victory Records, Ill Nino excite the latest fan generation from the bright 'Dead New World'. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON DR. ACULA 'Slander' VICTORY American 'Party Metal' / Deathcore mob Dr. Acula return with their highly anticipated fourth album, chock-full of intense breakdowns, funky gruel vocals and suspense on every second of the album, for the seven lads from New York, this is an album strong and brutal enough to rip holes in the streets and assimilate the problems of American life, to turn it into one roller-coaster of funky Deathcore and potentially experimental metal, but this is one release for the 'wtf' category, having said that, 'Party Metal' might just become a new genre. [8] RHYS STEVENSON SISTER SIN 'True Sound Of The Underground' VICTORY Swedish Hard Rock / Heavy Metal quartet Sister Sin make it three with their 2010 album 'True Sound Of The Underground', essentially the chic version of Iron Maiden, but with more sweat, blood and girl power, with an array of songs in the fury vein as well as rock ballads, this is Sweden's answer to Canada's Kobra & The Lotus, by far better and more glamorous, potentially an album to motorbike to. Bring on the Harley Davidson's zooming along Swedish countryside roads and the blasting of Sister Sin. [8] RHYS STEVENSON EXILIA
'My Own Army' AFM Italian Nu Metal quartet Exilia eroded hearing and lightened hearts in 2009 with their fourth full-length album taking life, whilst 'My Own Army' is clearly not as heavy as previous albums, the grunge elements are still there, what with Masha's voice enchanting and the other three members providing a musical supplement, these songs are not to be snuffed at, this is a more easy listening album but at the same time, 'My Own Army' has its own unique sound to it, one of melody, riot, softness and heaviness, a pivotal release in the end. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON GMN-Vol7 - Ana Kefr, Who Dies In Siberian Slush, Severed Heaven, Tukkanuotta / Goresoerd, Deathbound6/6/2011 ANA KEFR 'The Burial Tree (II)' MUSE SICK Californian Death Proggers Ana Kefr emerge once again to deliver a religious, political and philosophical tinged album, this time in the morphed form of 'The Burial Tree (II)', whilst not sounding like Gojira, it has some element of bizarreness with it, while although the individual compositions have a neatly crafted structure, the whole album itself is little to be desired, but not to be shunned as a failure. The growling is deep as oceans go, but the rest of it seems to lack any completeness with it. [5.5] RHYS STEVENSON WHO DIES IN SIBERIAN SLUSH 'Вitterness Of The Years That Are Lost' SOLITUDE PRODS. Depressing springs to mind with Russian Melodeath Doomsters Who Dies In Siberian Slush (WDISS), slow and melancholy are somewhat two words to describe it, but it is not one to be knocked what with a grizzly growler on the frontline and a bombardment of sorrowful riffs and funeral-like drumming. Intuitively elaborating the darkness of a funeral with the bitterness of the Russian winter, WDISS are one of a kind, just be warned of the depressive aftermath. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON SEVERED HEAVEN 'Incessant Darkness' Formerly known as the Melodic Gothic Metal quintet Blood Sundae, the five females from Leeds and Manchester reformed under a darker and more extreme sound, the sound of a Severed Heaven. Immaculate musical compositions covered by some of the grittiest vocals produced by a female metal vocalist, this is the feminine Hecate Enthroned with some melodies still influencing this band. Ravenous riffs and sick blastbeats come together with two-tone vocals to deliver perhaps the darkest debut by any band in the English Metal music history. 'Incessant Darkness' with its slow-to-mid-paced musicals send clear messages to the listener, don't judge the band. This is the sort of music that would work well with horror films, or even essentially ghost night trips, but overall if you think the winter nights are dark, then face Severed Heaven as they bring far more darker times, 'Incessant Darkness' is just the beginning, watch this band at all costs. [9] RHYS STEVENSON TUKKANUOTTA / GORESOERD 'TUKKANUOTTA / GORESOERD 2010 split' Two nations, similar in language and culture, two bands, similar in genre, one split album. Finnish Death Metallers Tukkanuotta joins in force with Estonian Deathgrinders Goresoerd to deliver a double-edge whammy of Baltic Metal. The first half sees the fury of the Finns deliver an outstanding blow of crisp and clean Death Metal with Finnish vocal attributes; the second half sees the elegance of the Estonians whip up a frenzy-like blast of Death Metal and Grindcore merged into one with essential native-tongue vocals. One release for Death Metal fans and fans of Finnish and Estonian Metal. [8] RHYS STEVENSON DEATHBOUND
'Non Compos Mentis' DYNAMIC ARTS Death Metal / Grindcore veterans Deathbound return with their fourth enrichment of bloody and gut-eroding music in the form of 'Non Compos Mentis', whilst not as brutal as their 'Doomsday Comfort' album, it still warrants a level of violence and hearing-aid destroying power. Quick, snappy and mind-boggling compositions are all that's exasperated on this release and in scintillating style at the same time, 'Non Compos Mentis' is a statement by Deathbound, we are not finished this brutalization. [7] RHYS STEVENSON KERECSENSÓLYOM 'Aquileia Ostroma' NAIL Hailing from Hungary, Symphonic Folksters KerecsenSólyom savaged the countryside and woods to contain natural elements in order to release their debut full length album 'Aquileia Ostroma' released in 2010. Mixing Hungarian lyrics with a myriad of riffs, solos and drum beats to create a dynamic musical world of traditional Hungarian Folk music with the harshness of Metal music. KerecsenSólyom serve as Hungary's answer to Russia's Arkona and develop their own sound, one full of Slavic atmosphere traits and Magyar tranquility. [8] RHYS STEVENSON DEHUMANIZER 'Prelude To Destruction' Speeding across the Arizona desert in an American lorry is Dehumanizer, the latest Deathrash Metal quartet to come out of the USA and into the world of Metal music. With a tank-load of fury loaded in the drums nothing slows these beasts down, not even the highway patrol from the cannonball run. Cranial damage is soon to be expected from the clarity of this music, percussive and neatly organized spring to mind on the 'Prelude To Destruction', we don't know what the aftermath will be, but rest assured it won't be pretty. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON HELLSPAWN 'Child Of Hell' 2010 and a new dawn of Extreme Metal was created in Poland, giving birth to Hellspawn's latest album 'Child Of Hell'. The Polish Death Metal quartet emanates the meaning of extremity and sticks it on the underlying foundation of brutal insanity. Pounding drumming, rampant riffs and spine-spanking vocals elaborate to commence the total depletion of hearing in phantasmal style, a delusional paradox of early Behemoth and latter Death Metal. For Hellspawn, this is more than music, this is much more than a Death Metal release, it is their 'Child Of Hell'. [8] RHYS STEVENSON AS HEART'S BLEEDING 'Existence' NAIL Hungarian Metalcore posse As Heart's Bleeding unleashed a brutal onslaught of Hardcore Metal in 2009 with their album 'Existence', collecting a flurry of fast-flowing riffs, beats and extreme vocals, the quintet tear apart any living threat to the Hungarian Metal scene and install a Garrison-load of murderous tracks. Thinking Metalcore was emo-tinged with bands like Asking Alexandria was a misconception, for this band bring the new meaning of Metalcore, right back to it's very 'Existence', a true milestone in the Hungarian Metal Scene. [8] RHYS STEVENSON EVENTIDE 'The Beast & The Machine' It's a common trait, Sweden and the many variations of Death Metal, but it just all sounds the same, Eventide somewhat proves this but with an added element of Progressive Metal. Whipping up a storm in 2010 with their second album 'The Beast & The Machine', the mob from downtown Stockholm whack up the amps in brutal and fearful style and immaculately organize a wave of sonic wave destruction. Forget beauty and the beast, this is 'The Beast & The Machine'. [7] RHYS STEVENSON THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL OLD CORPSE ROAD 'The Bones Of This Land Are Not Speechless/English Black Punk Metal' GOD REAH Two of the most revered Black Metal bands in England come together to wield a split release worthy of a place on any Black Metal fans shelf. Hertfordshire Metallers The Meads Of Asphodel work alongside North Eastern group Old Corpse Road, both with British traditions in common and a sense for Extreme Metal. Their combined effort 'The Bones Of This Land Are Not Speechless/English Black Punk Metal' which saw its release in 2010 culminates a work of art beyond mere Anglo-Saxon history. The Irish have Celtic Metal, but now thanks to these pioneers, the English have Anglo-Saxon Metal. [8] / [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON MYHRDING 'Myhrding' UNEXPLODED Arising from the shadow grounds of the Swedish woods comes the latest Black Metal band to storm the underground in evil fashion, Myhrding a Swedish Black Metal quintet from Jönköping uncovers true original compositions and adapt it fit the lyrical content of Norse Paganism, somewhat a bold move towards Viking Black Metal, but with an assailant style of a debut self-titled EP released this year, Myhrding are looking promising in many ways. [8] RHYS STEVENSON HIM
'Venus Doom' SIRE Going back to 2007, HIM (His Infernal Majesty) released their sixth adventurous outing in the form of their full-length album 'Venus Doom', putting together the traditional darkness found in the Finnish suburbs with the intricacy of modern metal/rock. With a Metallica-like influence and Gothic rock held at the helm of HIM's core music, the quintet from Helsinki came round again to deliver another loving and emotional sermon of pure Love Metal, like 'Venus Doom'. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON |
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