SHAPED BY FATE 'I Fear The World Has Changed' SIEGE OF ARMADA Welsh Hardcore Metallers Shaped By Fate make their comeback to release their sophomore album 'I Fear The World Has Changed', kicking into full throttle, the South Wales crew demolish past sounds and implement a new choice of direction, one with full of the nitty-gritty, sweat and demonic fret of which is enough to make listeners wet themselves. Coming from the fabled 'core' scene of South Wales is no easy task, but for the quintet before you, this is only level 1, there are far more levels to complete, and as the band will find, everything is in fact, Shaped By Fate. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON DISHARMONIC 'The Creature - Artificial Ignorance' HECATOMBE Defying the odds of the Spanish economy crashing was plain and simple for Andalusia's Disharmonic, who of which unleashed brutal hell in 2011 with their face-smashing debut release 'The Creature - Artificial Ignorance'. Featuring drumming so fast and brutal, it's only physical resemblance is being kicked in the cojones, painfully sharp and so razor-sharp, it could cause a headache. But that's what makes Disharmonic and 'The Creature - Artificial Ignorance' so good, demoralising the norms and putting their own twist on the fathomed Death Metal genre. With Bao delivering the scariest of female vocals, this is a Spanish Inquisition metal-style. [9] RHYS STEVENSON SPREADING DREAD '...Sanatorium...' 2012 see's a new band on the block in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. This band comes in the form of Power Thrashers Spreading Dread and in-tow their debut album '...Sanatorium...' which delivers a majestic riff-a-thon in sensational style. With blistering-paced drums in the backline, venomous vocals splitting the chasm in two and a frenzy of galloping riffs on the frontline, '...Sanatorium...' is crafted for fans of Sabaton, Metallica and basically any band that uses either Thrash Metal or Power Metal. Rest assured, this is a promising band. [7] RHYS STEVENSON THE SIEGE 'The Siege - A Musical Epic' STP Austrian Prog Metal/Rock maestro Florian Hartl takes listeners on a mystical, majestic and awe-inspiring adventure with his project The Siege. Firmly affixed on the subject of the Battle of Vienna in 1683, this is a solid production of which draws comparisons between Dream Theatre and Sonata Arctica, with a fortified display of emphatic solo's, classic vocals and an array of percussion to keep the listener on their toes, The Siege is taking Austrian Prog Metal/Rock to new levels of extremity and in doing so, collectively spews out nothing but 100% excellence. [8] RHYS STEVENSON EL SCHLONG
'Time/Place' So it comes down to this, a calamitous clashing of various metal genres that interestingly and surprisingly seem to work, without actually finding any way to genre-tag El Schlong's 2011 release 'Time/Place'. Effectively it's got melancholy, panache and out-right bizarrity. If anything it may as well qualify as Extreme Progressive Metal, the progression is there but the vocals are effectively Thrash Metal, whereas the riffs epitomise the classic sound of Black Metal or Doom Metal, one of which resembles a scary side to this release,, and so on that note this album as many questions, but one answer, which is that it's unique. [6] RHYS STEVENSON
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THOUGHTS OF REJECTION 'Thoughts Of Rejection' A face-punching, spine-cracking and soul destroying attempt comes from Austria's Thoughts Of Rejection and their self-titled debut album. The quintet weave together a riff-after-riff rampage with the very essence of Death/Thrash covered Metalcore for which devours the final sound into a million shards of glass, with each second bringing a delightful cut to the chase and the 'thoughts of rejection' eventually begin to slice through the listener's sense of hearing. Truth resides here and this effort will not fall far short of getting attention, rest assured this band has got more to offer. [7] RHYS STEVENSON OKERA 'A Beautiful Dystopia' Australian Melodic Death / Doom Metal quartet make their debut album jump and trip a bit, 'A Beautiful Dystopia' has all the flavourings of the traditional sounds from the stated genre's, but the atmosphere lacks in ambience and despair and thus results in a rather upbeat version. Hark, nonetheless Okera make a good attempt at their first release and is sure to bring out future promising sounds, but for now there is work to be done, perhaps the surfing needs to be cut down and spent more time absorbing the outside atmosphere during the BBQ season, or better still taking in the dark side of Australia, of which would become 'A Beautiful Dystopia'. [6] RHYS STEVENSON BELAKOR 'Of Breath & Bone' ROCKSTAR RECORDS Third strike lucky and coming out of the gates is Australia's Belakor and their third outing, 'Of Breath & Bone' sees the Melodic Progressive Death maniacs delve into the deepest sphincters of hell to deliver a face-smacking punch of evil music. With the riffs emanating the classic Scar Symmetry progressive gist and the vocals taken on the form of Unleashed, this is a truly remarkable effort. Without any remorse, Belakor produce music similar to that of Scar Symmetry, In Flames and Marionette, a classic Gothenburg sound escape and with this effort, the next step is global domination for the Victoria quintet; could easily be Australian Metal album of the year. [8] RHYS STEVENSON TEMPLE 'Structures In Chaos' NON SERVIAM RECORDS Blasting the barriers of sound is Dutch Brutal Death cowboys Temple and their emphatic debut album 'Structures In Chaos', this god-smiting release brings together the sounds of early Behemoth with Hail of Bullets-style vocals. It's sensational speed, riff intricacy and gut-rotten vocals devour the listener into a state of phantasmagoria via exploding the surrounding area with the sound of pounding beats, harmonious guitars and the overall sense that Temple, of whom are a trio, are in fact a mass army, ready to deliver the most brutal and sickening Death Metal in through 'Structures In Chaos'. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON AKOMA
'The Other Side' If Carlsberg did prophecies, it would probably be the prophecy in the world, and this pretty much sums up Akoma's sophomore EP 'The Other Side'. Striking comparisons can be found between the heavenly vocals of Within Temptation; only made even more heavenly by Tanya and the thunderous drumming and riffing by three talented musicians, altogether producing one of the finest Danish Metal bands in years. 'The Other Side' takes the listener to a land of majestic adventures, harmonic rivers and waterfalls and changes the atmosphere into the realm of the beauty and the beast. Sounds like phantom of the opera, plays like godly music, concludes as the potential for being Danish release of the year, why aren't they signed? [10] RHYS STEVENSON GMA - Vol83 - Cursed By The Fallen, Theudho, Harvesta, Strange Facts In The Scalpel Case, Lelahell30/6/2012 CURSED BY THE FALLEN 'When The Sun Turns Red' Once in a while you come across a band that crosses two subgenres together and matches them with perfection, such is the band Cursed By The Fallen, the Austrian four-piece criss-cross Melodic Death Metal with the pummelling of Metalcore to devise an explosive sound of insane proportions. In the same musical veins as The Dead Lay Waiting and Sacred Mother Tongue, this Austrian quartet are by far very promising and are sure to end up with a record label, European-wide recognition and a fistful of greater sounds. 'When The Sun Turns Red' is in fact their debut EP.... what a corker, brutal enough to cause unexpected avalanches in the Alps. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON THEUDHO 'When Ice Crowns The Earth' AURORA AUSTRALIS RECORDS In the band's 10th anniversary year, the fourth album from Theudho is released. 'When Ice Crowns The Earth' see's Belgian Pagan Black Metal take full flight and deliver an evil and eerie Norse sound. Within this record is the sounds of an almighty battle, fought on the plains of East Flanders with swords high and axes low, riffing out a majestic production and composing the marching tune to the tune of a darkened atmosphere. Taking a pinch of influence from bands such as Arkona, Ancient Rites and Rabenwolf, Theudho will remain as an underground Belgian legend, even 'When Ice Crowns The Earth'. [8] RHYS STEVENSON HARVESTA 'Harvesta' TERRORZONE RECORDS Hailing from Austria, comes a storm that was undetectable by satellites, well, it's actually a blizzard called Harvesta, who snow the listener in with an avalanche of hailstorm-like-Heavy Thrash Metal. The self-titled debut album by the quartet is quite simply sensational, with clear influences from bands like The Morning After, Metallica and Iron Maiden all mixed into one musical cooking pot, the outcome is a buffet of speed, heaviness and 100% face-melting riffs. With each song a health warning should be issued, because before long listener's will get hooked, guaranteed. Want some advice? Buy this album, 'cause this is going straight to the Emmy's. [10] RHYS STEVENSON STRANGE FACTS IN THE SCALPEL CASE 'Unearthed' Not conventionally like the over-produced Death Metal bands of today, well the debut EP from Belgian Death Metal merchants Strange Facts In a Scalpel Case go back to the original sounds of Death Metal. Immersed in a raw at'mosh'phere and darkened bleak production, the raw death metal sound is inevitably revitalising. The West Flanders duo coalesce to deliver a gloomy stance on music and with this EP in their roster, it can only get darker. Whilst not fast like Unleashed or thick like Morbid Angel, SFITSC is not like Napalm Death. 'Unearthed' is for those fans of 80's Death Metal and not for the modern day metal fan who thinks 'core music' is godly. [7] RHYS STEVENSON LELAHELL
'Al Inithar' The debut EP 'Al Inithar' from Algerian Death Metallers Lelahell comes without mercy, strapping together the vocalist of Litham and two talented musicians from Black Metal band Barbaros, this is the moment the Algerian Metal scene has been waiting for, the total onslaught of true North African Metal. Singing in both Arabic and English, the trio from Algiers summon up from the desert the darkest and most gruesome ever presented in this part of the world, a collection of six tracks spewing out guttural vocals so rotten, your body starts to decompose. The riffs and drum patterns only add more anguish and so fans of bands like Suffocation, Unleashed and Death/grind may find this to their liking. Lelahell has spoken, the torch is lit, Lelahell are flying the flag for Algeria. [8] RHYS STEVENSON LAHANNYA 'Dystopia' KABUKI A bit of a reprisal comes into play with Lahannya's latest offering 'Dystopia', the multi-national quartet deliver a Gothic-twisted emphasis on the whole Alternative Metal division, with joyous melodies and erotic vocals coalescing together to shed new light on the sounds of modern music. Long gone are the days of London being a reputed Gothic area but the music continues to flourish and rule the night and with Lahannya firmly now set in stone and on the road to achieve much more, nothing will stop this foursome from reviving the old roots of Gothic/Alternative music. 'Dystopia' is for fans of Evanescence, The Cyan Velvet Project, Velcra and Domina Noctis. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON BELLIGERENT INTENT 'Seven Are They' Perhaps this could be a signature soundtrack to a world war two film, or it could be something dark that's lurking in Australia's backyard; a dead body perhaps? But whatever fans can make of Belligerent Intent's debut album 'Seven Are They', it is guaranteed a smacking of rough and grizzly Black / Death Metal. Blistering drums are perhaps the best section of the band's debut, but as an overall production it can be easily linked to other bands such as The Furor or Behemoth. Next thing we will know is that there is a sharp rise of hearing loss in the Melbourne area, or it could be the screeching of the Melbourne Formula 1 Grand Prix (we think). [8] RHYS STEVENSON KLYNT 'Of Klynt & Man' Hard to make anything of this one, well technically that's a lie, this is Austrian quintet Klynt and their debut release 'Of Klynt & Man', now when claiming to be Power / Thrash Metal, it would be assumed to be fast, with melodic vocals and heavy vocals in tandem, however what Klynt have done have gone the opposite, heavy vocals, melodic music and medium pace. Like the fable of Midas, Klynt are on that path but are a fair distance away from making any epic sounds as-of-yet, but with this release under their belt, it can only get better for the lads, one band to keep an eye out for. [7] RHYS STEVENSON WHITECHAPEL 'Whitechapel' METAL BLADE Within the myriad and factory-processed Deathcore bands that seem to have come out of nowhere, lies a diamond amongst the fakes and it is this diamond that is in fact Whitechapel. The American juggernauts assault the fourth outing in sensational style, with a breakdown after blastbeat smack-in-the-face reception, the self-titled album by the heavy-weight titans is a clear sign of how Deathcore 'should be done'. This without a doubt has to be the best album they have ever released and will prove a real hard act to follow on from. For fans of Resist The Thought and The Black Dahlia Murder amongst many other elite Deathcore acts. [8] RHYS STEVENSON CATACOMBS
'Catacombs' Somewhat easy to compare when speaking of Catacombs, the closest you can pinhole them to is Wintersun, minus the chill factor. However, Australia's Catacombs and their debut self-titled EP is not without any deviations; subtle breakdowns emerge here and there whilst retaining the melodic overture found on 'The Fallen'. Sure it's not a 100% production and generally no first release is, but the Melbourne lads do have a sense of musical direction and with this EP under wraps, they could break into the international scene, with hints of Amon Amarth and the slow Melodic doom-feel in the shadows, Catacombs are a decent band with a decent release. [7] RHYS STEVENSON WEDDING IN HADES 'Misbehaviour' BAD MOOD MAN MUSIC French Death Doomsters Wedding In Hades make their awaited return with their sophomore full-length album 'Misbehaviour', fully of melancholy and sorrowful depression, this record is enough to make anyone weep unintentionally because it carries the darkness in one package. Such an improvement has happened since their debut album 'Elements of Disorder' gloomed out the surroundings in 2010, the songs are darker and more slower and yet they capture a real misery side to release, just a shame the first song is far too long. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON GRAVEFLOWER 'Returning To The Primary Source' SOLITUDE PRODS Let's face it, Russia know how to conjure up the right method of playing Doom / Death Metal. With the most depressing and cold bitter atmosphere drilled into one's head, Graveflower who hail from Yekaterinburg ignite a murky and ugly feel to their music, making it really atmospheric and sensationally shadow-like, 'Returning To The Primary Source' is their debut album and this is a great way to start it on, with vocals delivering a mellow yet frost-bitten feel and the guitars and drums working in sync to give a dank feel to the audio, this could be the turning point in Doom / Death Metal. [6] RHYS STEVENSON _ EVADNE 'The Shortest Way' SOLITUDE PRODS Apt music to justify the mood felt in the Spanish economy, but hey-ho Evadne's sophomore album delivers the goods in eccentric form, mixing melodic metal with the depressive Doom / Death Metal which in itself is a plethora of different styles and stance. The five-piece who hail from the autonomous region of the Valencian Community bring out the darkness in their land and curse the listener with a sensational outcry. Bringing together a collection of different elements, the five-some are sure to go onto greater things and achieve higher recognition as what is billed as potentially Spanish Metal album of the year. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON HELL LIGHT 'Funeral Doom / The Light That Brough Darkness' SOLITUDE PRODS Here is a dual-release; one 2008 album and one 2011 EP - both making up on a 2 CD release and a delightful listen, even with the epic cover of Queen's 'the show must go on'. This is the Brazilian Funeral Doom/Death Metal trio Hell Light and they mean business. With at least two hours worth of music to devour, this dual-release could be most essential one of the band's career, sure they have been going since 1996 and within a 3 year period, two releases coalesced and come together to deliver an almighty musical explosion. [7] RHYS STEVENSON HEART OF A COWARD
'Hope & Hindrance' It's not very often that you come across a Metal band that nails two genres perfectly at once, well at least in the Groove Metal and Metalcore genres respectively, unless your of course Heart Of A Coward, the Milton Keynes quintet with ex-Sylosis vocalist Jamie Graham on the reins unleash their latest brutal offering 'Hope & Hindrance'. Splintered with sharp riffs and covered by some of the grittiest vocals ever known to man, Heart Of A Coward put the 'pedal to the metal' on this release and go out on full throttle, now if they don't win any awards in the future, I'll eat my speakers. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON SANGRE ETERNA 'Asphyxia' MAPLE METAL One would come to a just conclusion that Serbian quintet Sangre Eterna are stuck within a musical time warp, transgressing between Symphonic Black and Melodic Death Metal, as their 2012 album 'Asphyxia' justifies, bringing a harmonic feel to the Melodic Death Metal whilst firmly edging towards a unique sound, perhaps it would be best for them to implement the symphonic sounds with the Melodic Death Metal as the two seem to work without any problem. Ideally sounding somewhat similar to that of Wintersun, Sangre Eterna is perhaps the newer face of Serbian Metal. RHYS STEVENSON [7] INVASIVE 'Extended Pain' Suffolk Metallers Invasive unleash their EP 'Extended Pain' to the masses with a warning attached, there is no genre to sum up the sound, the best way to categorize it is to say it has a Heavy Metal backbone but a load of classic metal riffs in Thrash style. In fact Hardcore also makes an apparent way to describe the music, however it is well recorded and well timed, but the element that lacks is the stiffness in the sound, there seems to be no fluidity about the release, no matter how heavy it sounds and this sadly drags them down in 'Extended Pain'. Not a bad start from the Ipswich quartet but there is room for improvement. [5.5] RHYS STEVENSON EDENIAN 'Winter Shades' BAD MOOD MAN MUSIC There is something that is exceptionally spectacular about Eastern European Gothic Doom Metal bands, they all seem to have heavenly vocals, atmospheric compositions and spine-chilling riffs. Edenian from Kharkov in The Ukraine are no exception, coming out with their debut album 'Winter Shades', the sextet immerse the listener in a blanket of shadows and cold, bitter atmospherics emitted from the harmonies of the keyboard and the soothing vocals from Samantha Sinclair, all in all summing up to what could be Ukrainian Metal album of the year. ZGARD 'Reclusion' BAD MOOD MAN MUSIC It's one of those albums for those who enjoy epic length songs, with the songs around 7 minutes on average per song, it is indeed an endurance test, but one with sensational sounds and icy cold deliverance, this is of course Zgard from The Ukraine, a project focusing on the cold-heartedness of Pagan Black Metal. It is fast on the drums, rapid on the keyboards but most importantly it delivers an atmosphere of sheer fear; in that the eeriness is paramount. Whilst 'Reclusion' is the second album to be released in 2012, the product does not sell past any date, nor does it disappoint. [7] RHYS STEVENSON _ WHEN NOTHING REMAINS
'As All Torn Asunder' SOLITUDE PRODUCTIONS So much for the respite of the Doom/Death Metal cult following, it would seem apparent that it is far from finished, considering Sweden's When Nothing Remains issues a really depressing and soul-destroying debut album entitled 'As All Torn Asunder'; the latter expressing its relation to the inaugural emotions left on the listeners mind. This is a release for the murky and sorrowful Metal fan, who castrates the eroded soul with the bluntness of an icy-biting wind. Ironically the phrase 'death do us part' would seem too much of a definite pun to accentuate the everlasting autocracy on this release. RHYS STEVENSON [7.5] [T.3.R] 'Романтика 21 века' GRAVITATOR Russia is usually dogged by the mass-populated Slavic and Pagan Metal bands. But below the depths of the darkness are bands that are far darker than one can conceive. Enter [T.3.R.] and their sophomore album 'Романтика 21 века'; this eclectic mix of electronic music and Industrial Gothic Metal in the styles of Deathstars, Rammstein and Gothminister enable the Russian quintet to deliver an almighty blow in extreme proportions. Exclusively sung in their native language, this is a prime example of what is being missed in the main arena. Give due their low external popularity; this is perhaps the album to swing the pendulum the other way and without a doubt one band to keep an eye on. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON https://www.facebook.com/pages/T3R/356705331031612 BURNING DOWN PARIS 'Burning Down Paris' Somewhat inadvertently trying to avoid the escapade of being cornered as a typical Deathcore band is beyond anything easy as Burning Down Paris try to prove, however the general style of the genre is evidently there, now how can one segregate their self-titled EP from the myriad of groups in the wilderness of the Deathcore dungeons is one question too many. In accordance to absolution in perfection, they would full more under the Death Metal/Hardcore (with add-ons) category, sure the release is not nothing new but the credit remains imminent, they stick to the norms and don't follow the wrong path, closest comparison would be the likes of Whitechapel and Ease of Disgust. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON _THE FIFTH HORSEMAN 'Apocalypse' The Fifth Horseman could be the next big threat, after all the Technical Deathcore masochists conjure a ballistic mix of insane riffs, gut-rotten vocals and unthinkable electronic music to give the overall production a real sense of experimentation. 'Apocalypse' offers something unique from song to song with a magnitude of different sounds, resulting in a combination of The Browning, Asking Alexandria and Whitechapel. Emphatic blastbeats, mentally-scarring breakdowns and catastrophic compositions, The Fifth Horseman emerge as natural successors in the Surrey Metal scene and are sure to be catching eyes by some labels far and wide. [8] RHYS STEVENSON MYRA 'Godspeed' EUROPEAN LABEL GROUP Melodic Death Metal generally needs three factors: melodic music, deep vocals and precise pace changing, however Germany's Myra have found a fourth element, that being speed. 2010 saw the release of their second effort 'Godspeed', a truly remarkable piece of musical engineering, so powerful it makes Rammstein weak on the knees. Futuristic electronics combine with eccentric riffing and elementary melodies to conceive what could be billed as the next band to smash through the barriers of the generic Melodic Death Metal curse and into higher levels, with comparisons drawn from the likes of Scar Symmetry, Soilwork and Sonic Syndicate, Myra are a tyrant in disguise. [10] RHYS STEVENSON SHAKE WELL BEFORE
'Goliath' Italian Metalcore/Hardcore quintet Shake Well Before ignite the fire with their blood-thirsty EP 'Goliath', chock-full of vocals and music brutal enough to make anyone nauseous and cause them to soil their pants. Heavy and furious are two words that can barely describe it, sounding not unlike Parkway Drive or Lamb Of God, Shake Well Before setup a sound that will blast walls apart with no effort whatsoever. The letdown is the repetitious riffs, somewhat a little basic at times, but overall this is an effort many should not turn away from checking out. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON AENYGMIST 'Creation Born of Trauma' As raw as cold meat found in the northern most parts of Canada, Quebec's quintet Aenygmist unleashed an absolute belter in the Melodic Black Metal vein back in 2010 with their debut album 'Creation Born of Trauma'. Best fitting to that of Cradle of Filth, the release cultivates a dark and bleak atmosphere within the blackened corners of the listener's mind, meaning it is one of those releases that takes you away from your senses, this is the sort of output that has been missing from this land and with the beauty residing in this release, Aenygmist could well be the next big Black Metal act from Canada. [9] RHYS STEVENSON _ CORPSE FAUNA 'Gore Gallery' Arising from the pits of Essex is Death Metal / Grindcore quintet Corpse Fauna, this five-piece simmer out the gravel from the grit and repeatedly smash the listener into brick walls with their debut demo 'Gore Gallery'. Whilst the production isn’t the most wonderful and at times sounds completely non-existent, the demo is a fair attempt at kick-starting the band's career, of course all bands don’t sound their best on their first demo, but Corpse Fauna are sure to make an impression as time goes on, with the double bass and guitars adding a raw atmosphere to it, the only way is forward, the only way is Essex. [7] RHYS STEVENSON AONIA 'City of Shadows' It would seem that Aonia, who hail from the Midlands, have chosen to adopt an Operatic-cross-Disney epic style of Symphonic Gothic Power Metal. The female-fronted quintet debuted with their 2011 EP 'City of Shadows' and instantaneously it bursts into life by alleviating the suspense via a terrific outcry of emphatic riffs and heavenly vocals. This is the 'beauty and the beast' scenario whereby the aurora of the Gothic Metal reaches that essential point whereby absolute bliss is maintained, henceforth Aonia may as well be England's answer to Sweden's Therion and Finland's Nightwish, but wherever this band end up, they have covered the land in a 'city of shadows'. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON BULL-RIFF STAMPEDE 'Scatter The Ground' If not for the ad-hoc riffing and the occasional cymbal thumping, this could be a rather decent Death/Thrash album, instead it just falls short of the full works, yet it holds a rather interesting sound, fast and shrieking, a unique combo found in the Italian Death / Thrash scene, added to the affray is some bombastic English solo's, all of which combine together to produce a decent effort for Bull-Riff Stampede, however the Bristolians need to stop learning how to 'Scatter The Ground' and learn how to stand their ground. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON _ CENSURA
'The Island' BIELER BROS RECORDS American Franco-Irish quartet Censura blast themselves into the Irish Metal scene with an apocalyptic boom, mixing an eclectic style of Electronic Power Metal and embodied with Metalcore and Industrial influences, Censura are in the new style of Modern Metal. Their five-track EP 'The Island' from start to finish is a non-stop rollercoaster of mesmerising trance-style beats, furious vocals and some of the most sickening riffs known to man, let alone being drawn to comparisons with Dead By April and Asking Alexandria, Censura are the new face of Irish Metal, watch out, this is just the beginning. [10] RHYS STEVENSON GMA - Vol77 - Emporer (Tribute), Kraanium, Gone Til Winter, Not Above Evil, Butcher Babies24/5/2012 VARIOUS ARTISTS 'In Honour of Icon E - A Tribute To Emporer' CANDLELIGHT In a similar form of a guard of honour, sixteen bands have come together from many nations to salute Norwegian Black Metal lords Emporer in emphatic style. With the most notable bands being the likes of Helheim, Taake, Horna, Necrodeath and Svartlav, this is a goblet-raised toast to one of the finest Norwegian Black Metal bands ever to walk the earth. From the darkened abyss to the most Satanic corners of the heathen mountains, this is sure to be a well-spoken of release and is sure to captivate many Metal fans alike let alone the Black Metal die-hards. This as far as one is concerned, sees this as probably the Black Metal album of the year, sure it's handicapped due to the compilation backdrop, but regardless it is a fitting release and has its place on the history of metal firmly stuck. [8] RHYS STEVENSON KRAANIUM 'Post Mortal Coital Fixation' COMATOSE Gross and sickening come to mind with Norway's Kraanium and their gore-fest 'Post Mortal Coital Fixation', which is theit third vomiting to date. Oozing with song titles so disturbing and twisted they dwarf all of the Saw films entirely. After all this is their third release and a perfectly crafted one too, unlike most Brutal Death bands (who grunt more than growl), Kraanium seem to conjure up a winning stratagem and unleash a face-melter, so powerful enough it may need to come with a warning for imminent underwear-shittng. Easily an album anyone should own, 'Post Mortal Coital Fixation' is definitely for fans of Fitcage, Deathbound and Cattle Decapitation. [7] RHYS STEVENSON GONE TIL WINTER 'The First Season' Harmonious and superbly melodic is a statement summing up Gone Til Winter's 2011 release 'The First Season'. Hailing from Manchester, the quintet of three males and two females usher in a new sense of Melodic Metal with Power Metal influences, similar to that of Tainted Grace and not unlike Evanescence, this is perhaps the breath of fresh air needed to clear the storms of the Midlands. Heavenly vocals gifting a creditable production of which from start to finish displays sensational riffs, magical melodies and ultimately delivers the total package in eight tracks. From start to finish this is a rollercoaster album and yet still young and fresh, they could go far. [8] RHYS STEVENSON _ NOT ABOVE EVIL 'The Transcendental Signified' There must be a trait with most Manchester bands that it's all about the darkened side of Metal music, as Not Above Evil certainly cast a shadow over the metropolitan city with their murderous combination of Melodic Black Metal and Death Metal style drumming. Similar to Hecate Enthroned, Not Above Evil are not really Christian Metal as the band name somewhat suggests, but if they were, sins would be plenty. Forging a striking sound with enough power to blow holes in any studio, this Mancunian quartet are ill-fated to make waves with the extraordinate sound of massacre all-round, with their 2011 release 'The Transcendental Signified', resistance is well and truly futile. [8] RHYS STEVENSON BUTCHER BABIES
'Butcher Babies' Hollywood is known for its drama, its glamour and laid-back atmosphere, but when five American musicians unleash a torrent of bloody hell upon the Los Angeles Metal scene, even the SWAT department shit bricks. This is Butcher Babies, comprising of two girls and three guys and a thousand ton weight in the form some of the sickest Heavy Thrash Metal on todays radar. With vocals provided by Heidi and Carla, from which give this four track release enough balls to make any wrestler look pansy, Butcher Babies are on course not to murder younglings, but to rob you of your hearing, you have been warned, be prepared for this titanic storm. [8] RHYS STEVENSON GMN - Vol76 - Silent Descent, Core In China Comp, Ihsahn, Mask of Virtue, Absence Of Light20/5/2012 _ SILENT DESCENT 'Mind Games' RISING RECORDS It's here, the follow-up to the nuclear blast that was 'Duplicity', the Rising Records debut album by Kent's Trance Metal wizards Silent Descent. The septet who hail from the town of Dartford utilise a delicate balance of Trance Music with European style Melodic Death Metal. Whilst conventionally differentiating their sound entirely from the rest of the 'Trance Army' such as: Enter Shikari, Asking Alexandria, Blood Stain Child etc, the septet have ruthlessly returned to max-out their sound with enough power and gusto to cause a ripple-effect across the Thames estuary. If pioneering a subgenre was meant to come from sheer experimentation, then it has certainly fallen for Silent Descent. This album captures the trance magic from the arsenal known as 'Kipster', the firing of skin-cutting riffs from Tom Callahan and Jaco Oxley, whilst being embezzled by the magnitude of the thunderous drumming by Jerry Sadowski and the ultimate armour piercing warhead devised by vocal architect Tom Watling, let alone the intertwining by Paul Hurrell and Jimmy Huang to altogether deliver what is perhaps already perceived as the album of the year in the UK Metal scene. RHYS STEVENSON [10] _CORE IN CHINA ROCK IN CHINA As ancient as their forefathers, the Chinese Metal and Rock scenes are ones that are not fully researched into and as such are left underground, what this free online compilation has done (which is downloadable from this page) is dug out a myriad of bands from the Metalcore, Deathcore, Nintendocore, Hardcore and Screamo sub-genres and presented this to the masses. The compilation took five months to compile and represent the areas of Beijing, Wuhan, Changsha, Taipei, Hong Kong, Baou and Guangzhou. It has been released via Rock In China's web page and is worth downloading, For a country like China to have an underground scene of epic proportions is a testament to the unformidable power of the internet, from the very first Heavy Metal band Tang Dynasty to tomorrow's Chinese musicians, this is a compilation any Metal fan should download and support. From New Tanks slamming Deathcore (which is brutal enough to make you look a right softy), to Meat Sucks' beautiful ballad-tinged hardcore sensation. You'd be asking for more than a Chinese takeaway, this compilation covers many tastes and not just one. Noodlecore some people call it, but Nintendocore is a crossing of Nintendo music and Deathcore/Metalcore; quite apt for a console that is ironically Japanese. But take no assumptions, download it and let your ears do the deciding, China has spoken, the bands are ready, are you? Let the audio assault begin.... RHYS STEVENSON (8.5) _IHSAHN 'Eremita' CANDLELIGHT One would confuse this with easy listening, or perhaps pure sensational imagination. This is after all Ihsahn's latest offering 'Eremita', a cleverly constructed assault of Extreme Progressive Metal with enough riffs to leave you barking for more. 'Eremita' marks Ihsahn's fourth outing and possibly his most impressive in the existence of the project. It’s fast, its heavy, its Norwegian and it’s insane, Ihsahn is taking Extreme Metal to a third dimension and in doing so, lashing it with a furious smacking of Black Metal-tinged Prog Metal. Who said innovation and experimentation was disastrous? [7] RHYS STEVENSON _ MASK OF VIRTUE 'In This World' RISING RECORDS Another band using the electronic music wildcard, but there is something unique about Mask Of Virtue, whether it's the fact they use melodic vocals and down-right brutal hardcore as a backdrop or the fact they are poised to the take the UK scene by storm. Whilst not as prolific (yet) as Hertfordshire band Enter Shikari, the Yorkshire quintet are not far behind from copping onto that sound, but at the sound they are currently at, they should stick. This is after hearing their debut album 'In This World', a harmonious composition of some of the sickest riffs, danceable beats and soul-destroying vocals. From start to finish, this is a non-stop roller-coaster of 'electronicore' at its absolute finest. Naturally sounding as Enter Shikari's successor, this is the 'electronicore' band the UK has been waiting for, next stop... global domination. [9] RHYS STEVENSON ABSENCE OF LIGHT
'Vyom Chakra' Unknown territories often hold a gem or two within their repertoire, Kenya is no exception. With the EP 'Vyom Chakra' free to download, it is worth taking a peek. This is Absence Of Light's debut release and is full of brutalising Extreme Metal from all aspects: sensational blastbeats, erratic riff changing and gut-wrenching vocals, coming from a country where Metal music is very underground this is essentially a taste of what can be done here. In the sounds of bands like Strapping Young Lad at its best, it is hard to state what this Kenyan band sound like, one would simply say 'check it out for yourself', but without any resilience whatsoever, this has to be the starting point for the Kenyan Metal scene. [8] RHYS STEVENSON |
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