 THE ERKONAUTS 'I Did Something Bad' ERKONOS You would find more solace and entertainment in watching paint dry than subjecting yourself to this extremely dismal debut album by The Erkonauts. Despite all of the Swiss quartet's best efforts, 'I Did Something Bad' does not carve itself out as a decent release, it lacks atmosphere, dwells too much on trying to become the next Dream Theater and ultimately weeps at the seams. Let's hope this album is short-lived and that the band pick up the pieces and redesign their blueprint, whether the album producer thought to themselves 'I Did Something Bad' is one possibility, the other being the thought belongs with the individual musicians. Check out if you dare. Download This: "Nola" - Click here to listen. For Fans of: Dream Theater, Periphery, Prog Metal [5] RHYS STEVENSON  CENTRATE 'Tiger Force' INDEPENDENT Cometh the modern wave of Teutonic Thrash Metal, sure Centrate's 'Tiger Force' is nothing new in terms of bringing something fresh to the over-saturated Thrash Metal style, it does however accomplish what it was created to do, that is deliver insanely heavy Thrash Metal. 'Tiger Force' is a four-track EP that glimmers with seismic drumming, maniacal riffs, ferocious vocals and an attitude that combined together sticks a few fists up your anus, knuckleduster in-tow. For the seasoned Thrash addict, this EP will tickle your taste-buds without leaving any desire to turn it off, meaning it might not appeal for those who love a wide array of metal. It is however a decent effort. Download This: "Tiger Force (promo)" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Holy Moses, Slayer, Tankard [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  PROFUNDAE LIBIDINES 'El Viaje Definitivo' INDEPENDENT If you wish to be detrimental towards Profundae Libidines' second album 'El Viaje Definitivo', you can be. Because it strides the boundary of being insanely weird and insanely shit, point being it has too many influences fighting each other to gain supremacy over the entire release. The only decent aspect of this release besides it's creative artwork, is the intuitive-sounds developed on the release through the use of a violin and fret-less bass. France has a rich heritage in underground Black Metal, but unfortunately this album does not stand up to it's former pedigree and thus will be left to rot in the abyss of decaying metal releases. You could be slightly more detrimental by admitting it's stabbed the Avant-Garde / Black Metal partnership in the heart. Download This: "El Viaje Definitivo" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Avant-Garde / Black Metal, Andy Warhol, 'strange music' [4] RHYS STEVENSON  PRAVIA 'Pravia' INDEPENDENT Behold the purveyors of 'Pagancore', Pravia are Poland's latest export and they come in the form of a five-piece Pagan Melodic Death Metal / Deathcore outfit. By wielding together the grit and brutality of Deathcore, with the flashiness and eccentricity of Melodic Death Metal and lashing it together with the Slavonic perspective of Pagan Metal, Pravia are set to become hot property within the year ahead. For added flavor, if they added some folk instruments native to their Polish and / or Slavic heritage, then the added dimension will certainly hoist them up as a genre innovator. In fact due to the sheer excitement reverberated across this release, 'Pravia' might as well be 'Polish Metal release of the year' for this in all sincerity carries all of the hallmarks of a band destined to achieve great things. Download This: "Forest Brethren" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Eluveitie, Arkona, Heaven Shall Burn [8] RHYS STEVENSON  LAPPALAÏNEN 'Kraken's Awakening' INDEPENDENT Once again the whole 'we are not Nordic but let's do Viking Metal anyway' attitude comes to the fore with France's latest export Lappalaïnen. The difference being, it seems this bard sextet want to merge both Celtic Metal and Viking Metal together, so far it seems to be paying off but for how long? 'Kraken's Awakening' brings to the table a bouncy, LOTR anthem-like sound to the forefront and will surely appeal to the Folkloric Metalheads worldwide. Whilst perhaps not as majestic as their opposite numbers like Eluveitie and Tyr, they however are much akin to the likes of Nightcreepers. Fast, bouncy and highly energetic is what 'Kraken's Awakening' can be summarized as, just wait for the second coming as it will need to be something special to beat this effort. Download This: "Riding On The Load Of Hay" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Eluveitie, Nightcreepers, Tyr [8] RHYS STEVENSON  BUKO 'Elefantes' INDEPENDENT Madrid shook heavily on the grounds as the Spanish quintet Buko emerge out of the pits with their highly anticipated debut album 'Elefantes'. Smothered by the Spanish language, this Heavy / Groove Metal release comes laden with Death Metal influences from the American kind. Despite it's lack in breaking the ice, that is making it an instant it, Buko's 'Elefantes' will certainly delight anyone who listens to it. There's a lot of influences roaming around this album and to pigeonhole it into one genre is practically asking for suicide, but with the evident 5FDP groove, DevilDriver Death Metal pinching and Avenged Sevenfold Heavy Metal riffs, Buko's 'Elefantes' is a truly unique release, rest assured. Download This: "Huérfanos" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Five Finger Death Punch, DevilDriver, Avenged Sevenfold [7] RHYS STEVENSON  DEPRESSED 'Afterlife In Darkness' INDEPENDENT If you asked for raw Death Metal put your hands up, otherwise sit down, shut up and listen to perhaps the most rawest Death Metal emerging out of Brazil over the last decade. 'Afterlife In Darkness' serves as Depressed's long-overdue debut album, which comes a whopping sixteen years after their first demo back in 1999, and boy was the wait worth it. Vocals so guttural that they will bleed your brain dry, whilst the riffs rip into you like barbed wire caressing your skin and the drums just simply, finish you off. Granted this band might be short-lived, but for the underground fetishist and the metalheads who dig exotic metal, then 'Afterlife In Darkness' is for you. Brutal, snazzy, erotic and completely 100% Brazilian. Download This: "Reborn In Hellfire (Live)" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Krisiun [7] RHYS STEVENSON  IRONRAT 'Monument' VOLTAGE If they had better studio quality then the album would be pretty decent, but ignoring the said flaw the album still is a delightful listen. Of course taking seven years to drop a debut album you'd think that Yorkshire's Ironrat would want to make it as gorgeous as possible, sure it might not be smelling of sweet roses but it certainly doesn't stink of sweat either. Whether the passion boiled down prior to the recording or the band were high off their tits, 'Monument' is still a rampant Stoner / Groove Metal album that carries all the hallmarks you would expect from a said-genre album. Funky, heavy and gritty, now the question is where's the sex? Unless you can give CD's oral, you can give CD's oral, right? Download This: "Feed The Pigs" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Machine Head, Monster Magnet, Electric Wizard [7] RHYS STEVENSON  MINDPATROL 'The Marble Fall' INDEPENDENT Mindpatrol is the Derren Brown of the metal world, full of magical trickery, progressive illusions and a shadowy atmosphere, after all their second album 'The Marble Fall' plays into the minds of the listener, developing a world beyond mere imagination. With at least an hour's worth of listening to cascade through, at every turn there is a musical element you was not expecting and it is this that places Mindpatrol's 'The Marble Fall' as a huge contender for not only 'Luxembourger Metal release of the year' but also 'European Metal album of the year'. There is no doubt that the Luxembourg Metal scene is shaking at it's very foundations, with Mindpatrol being the latest band to emerge from this tiny nation. Mindpatrol are a band to watch out for in 2016. Download This: "Tabula Rasa" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Born Of Osiris, Cypher 16, Periphery [9] RHYS STEVENSON  DEEP RIVER ACOLYTES
'From The Voids Of Chaos' INDEPENDENT Wave your head from left to right and back again to the tune of Deep River Acolytes' premier EP 'From The Voids Of Chaos' because this Heavy / Doom Metal monster demands you to do so. Hailing from the cold north of Finland, this quintet do not fail to impress nor serve up a delightful release. Well stretching out at nineteen minutes across three tracks, your attention won't drift away too soon and in fact this EP sort-of pays homage to the founders of Heavy / Doom Metal, Black Sabbath. Whilst they may not be as illustrious as the sadly-splitting band, nor as inventive, Deep River Acolytes certainly know how to start off on the right foot. They may just yet become your new favorite Finnish Metal export, if not one to watch out for in 2016. Download This: "Dwellers In The Mist" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Black Sabbath, Candlemass, St. Vitus [8] RHYS STEVENSON
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 INFECTED CHAOS 'The Wake Of Ares' METAL MUSIC AUSTRIA Unleashing a ravishing bombardment of guttural onslaught and provocative thoughts is Austrian Death Metal masochists Infected Chaos, who have blessed the metal world with their sensational debut album 'The Wake Of Ares'. Expect nothing but full-on Death Metal here, none of that glamorous-fancy stuff, no, this is straight edge Death Metal and you better be prepared for it, otherwise you will be begging for your life as it consumes your brains inside out. Waltzing in-and-out of the Old School and Modern variants, Infected Chaos make no errors on this attempt and this is why they will be your new favorite Death Metal band. In fact, 'The Wake Of Ares' might as well be a hot contender for Austrian Metal release of the year, watch this band with interest as they are set to go places. Download This: "Ia, God Of War" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Hail Of Bullets, Abhorrent Decimation, Unleashed [8] RHYS STEVENSON  MIST 'Inan' ' SOULSELLER Mist are enjoying their current incarnation and with their new-found line-up, unleash their gloomy premier EP 'Inan' ' to the masses with renewed vigor. Wallowing in the deepest realms of Doom Metal, this Slovenian outfit mark their territory well with this effort and will give them the ropes to hoist themselves up the ladder of international recognition. The funny thing is though, whilst Doom Metal is meant to be rather bleak, sorrowful and near-depressive, Mist ironically do not befit the usual elements of Doom Metal and instead drag in a more upbeat style to the genre, this might not appeal to those who suckle Doom Metal in their sleep, but might appeal to the wider metal community. Black Sabbath may well be calling curtains, but for Doom Metal it is the likes of Mist that are writing the new chapters in this genres history, and are sure to follow in the legends footsteps. Download This: "Inan" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Candlemass [8] RHYS STEVENSON  GODSLAVE 'Whatever We Want!' GREEN ZONE MUSIC / H'ART So we have the German Thrash Metal Godslave go completely non-metal and metal at the same time, well how you may ask? Well Godslave would answer "we will do 'whatever we want!" and that is exactly what they did, they unleashed an EP in honor of the Quo, Status Quo. Now for the elitist metalhead this would be completely taboo, but for the more conservative metalhead this is an epic delight, and boy do Godslave nail it right on the head. Through the essential use of gritty guitar playing, neck-breaking drums and brutally harmonic vocals, Godslave deliver their trademark sound that has guided them over the last decade (ish) or so. Ultimately 'Whatever We Want!' is a must-have release for any rock or metal fan alike, and certainly can be considered simply 'Thrashtastic!', here's to the second Quo-Thrash!. Get the EP here:- http://godslave.de/product/whatever-we-want-ep/ For Fans of: Status Quo (obviously), Metallica, Motorhead [8] RHYS STEVENSON  IHDAMAS 'Multiverso Desconocido' SALUTE If you're hunting for exotic Extreme Metal, look no further than South America and in specific Colombia, whose Black / Thrash Metal sons Ihdamas have made their voices heard through their premier '2014 demo' released last year and this year via Salute Records (SE). Proclaiming themselves as 'Conexion Metal', it is relatively clear at what they are trying to conjure up. A carefully blended mix of Black Metal, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Doom and Death Metal to create what essentially is 'Extreme Metal'. Raw in it's sound and furious in it's production, 'Multiverso Desconocido' is a delight to anyone who indulges in Extreme Metal and the South American abyss. Now whilst it's a decent release, it is doomed to stay in the underground for it's lacking that one element to make it an internationally recognized release, simply put:- to convince, because whilst the DIY sound may work for the underground, it would not bode well in the wider metal circuit. All in all a decent release. Get the demo via Salute Records here. For fans of: From Forgotten Being, Qafas, Seeds Of Iblis [7] RHYS STEVENSON  SARPENTRA 'Supernova' INDEPENDENT Russian Death Metal should have a genre of all it's own, because no matter what Russian band performs Death Metal, they all seem to be a league above the world. Making that notion more solid is Sarpentra who explode with their debut album 'Supernova' which is as brutally potent as sniffing arsenic after ingesting vodka and rum. With the blistering-paced drums leading the surcharge and the guitars adding the dimensional harmonics, coupled with vocals that Behemoth's Nergal would approve of and atmospherics similar to the likes of Fleshgod Apocalypse, 'Supernova' is a groundbreaking release that will spark off mass interest in many labels worldwide. Unrelenting in ferocity and uncompromising in energetic brutality, you may as well be looking at the Russian Metal release of the year, simply catastrophically 'Apocalyptic Metal'. For Fans of: Fleshgod Apocalypse, Behemoth, Katalepsy Download This: "Prometheus Unbound" - click here to listen [9] RHYS STEVENSON  LEAVE SCARS 'Chains Of Redemption' INDEPENDENT Cast your mind back and we gave Belgian Thrashers Leave Scars a fine going-over back in 2013, well fast forward to 2015 and the quintet have released another torrential battering of fine Thrash Metal in the shape of their second album 'Chains Of Redemption'. Pushing harder and faster since their first chronicle, 'Chains Of Redemption' demands your immediate attention with enough mosh power to command over a 1,000 and make the world's largest moshpit. Combining the Old-School anguish with the modern technicalities and glitz, Leave Scars are determined to 'Leave Scars' across Europe with their infectious Thrash Metal style. Loaded with aggression, you will need a spare set of pants because when this album is finished with you, there will be a shitty mess all over your chair - you have been warned. For Fans of: Evile, Fallen Fate, Savage Messiah Download This: "Final Chance" - click here to listen [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  DEATH BRINGER 'Avoid Reality' INDEPENDENT Six years after forming, Spanish Melodic Death Metal outfit Death Bringer lay down the law with their all-out powerful debut album 'Avoid Reality'. Fronted by the beautiful Paloma Gómez, her vocals intertwine with Pablo Santamarta in a sort-of 'beauty and the beast' singing arrangement. Guttural vocals crash against melodic vocals whilst the riffs burn into your ears and the drums provide that final solid sound that makes 'Avoid Reality' a truly respected album. Accept no substitutes as Death Bringer have assurances that they are the real deal and are set to smash your head in unless you conform, this album is not for weak-minded people, this album is for those who can tolerate the thought of their skull being exploded by an explosive wall of Melodic 'Death' Metal, fear it. Download This: "Bring Me Fire" - Click here to listen For Fans of: The Agonist, Izegrim, 6th Awakening [8] RHYS STEVENSON  IMMORALIS 'Connected Visions' INDEPENDENT After seeing two of their members depart the camp, Immoralis were faced with the enormous task of delivering a follow-up release worthy of acclaim. 'Connected Visions' ticks that box, despite dropping the female vocals; which for this release is the missing piece, the ingenuity of the music in question is sexually evocative. By avoiding the overrated djent sound and wedging themselves in between Symphonic Metalcore and Progressive Metal, Immoralis have crafted out a new dimension within the Avant-Garde style. Harmonious keys provide the solidified background, whilst the crunchy riffs and bass dance along with Jesse's face-punching vocals. Overall this EP holds promise for this Minnesota outfit, it is an improvement from 'The Great Collapse', but it falls short of being spectacular as it demands Jacis vocal presence. Download This: "Leo" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Bleeding Through, Periphery, Soilwork [8] RHYS STEVENSON  LOST IN PAIN 'Plague Inc.' NOISEWORKS Luxembourg is enjoying a great year for exporting metal music, what with Scarred's performance at Bloodstock and now Lost In Pain's charismatic second album 'Plague Inc.' seeing the light. Expect nothing less than some good old fashioned Heavy Metal from this 46 minute adventure, through the use of majestic vocals, spiffing riffs, thick-and-heavy bass elements and punctual drumming, Lost In Pain pay homage to the greatest genre in music history. Not flash nor trying to be the next Iron Maiden, Lost In Pain's 'Plague Inc.' is guaranteed to satisfy the thirst for those who indulge in not only the classic Heavy Metal vernacular but also metal from lesser-known scenes like Luxembourg. 'Plague Inc.' is without a doubt, 'Luxembourger Metal release of the year'. Simply awe-inspiring. Download This: "Greed" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Pantera, Mastodon, Machine Head, ok and Iron Maiden (ish) [8] RHYS STEVENSON  CHRONOS
'Hour Of Atonement' INDEPENDENT Channeled in the right direction, Somerset outfit Chronos' debut EP 'Hour Of Atonement' could have been a mind-blowing release but it lacks that cutting edge that would make it so. Sure the ferocity behind the mixing of the Melodic Death Metal and Thrash Metal sounds on the EP go well together, it just does not have that convincing element to say that Chronos are ready yet to break out of the underground. In fact the title track 'Chronos' is perhaps the only one to be defined as 'convincing', if they utilize that flirtatiousness between the guitars and drums more often then this EP could have been a whole league better. 'Hour Of Atonement' is a decent start, there is much to learn and with the right guidance Chronos can make it. Download This: 'Chronos' (Live)' - Click here to listen For Fans of: Trivium, In Flames, Opeth [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON |
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