 RANTERIO 'Agonía' INDEPENDENT Ranterío's debut album pays homage to the Groove Metal style as it ticks all the boxes required to befit that style, moreover it's signed it's own disclaimer as an album that will give Ranterío attention from overseas. The language barrier might pose an issue as they sing in Spanish, but by letting the music do the talking it's evident Ranterío have done their homework. Gritty riffs lead the forward charge whilst the drums provide the artillery fire, the bass is as heavy as Argentinian red wine and the vocals are as slick as Lionel Messi's dribbling... what more could you want? Ranterío are set to become a band to keep an eye on as they aim to break-out of the Argentinian Metal scene with ease and being trouble-free. Download This: "Odio" - Click to listen For Fans of: 5 Finger Death Punch, Black Stone Cherry, Pantera [8] RHYS STEVENSON  CERNUNNOS 'Leaves Of Blood' INDEPENDENT Skiltron and now Cernunnos, some might think why on earth is an Argentinian Metal band playing Folk Metal in the Celtic style? It's a valid question, but one plausible explanation is the vast Irish community that resides in Argentina and thus generations back might have hailed from the Emerald island. But accounting for Cernunnos' impressive take on the Celtic Metal style, it's clear that this sextet are set on scoring their own sound by wallowing through Heavy Metal, Melodic Metal and Melodic Death Metal and almost successfully becoming Argentina's answer to Eluveitie. 'Leaves Of Blood' is certainly an album that will enthral listeners for hours, but is also one that could easily carry this musically-sound lot across the Atlantic into Europe. Download This: "Birth Of Galatia" - Click to listen For fans of: Skiltron, Eluveitie, Waylander [8] RHYS STEVENSON  INSULTERS 'Metal Still Means Danger' UNHOLY PROPHECIES Grim and bleak in every aspect, you would think that Insulters have been rampaging around for a very long time given the maturity of their Blackened Thrash assault style, you'd be wrong. Having only been beating around the bush for nine years, Catalonia's Insulters make their welcomed return with album number two, called 'Metal Still Means Danger'. Whilst the album title might not exactly tie in with the chosen metal genre, it does still ring true when contested as a fact - metal is a brutal genre that probably wouldn't appeal to the sheep in the pop music world, that is those who follow pop music en mass and are afraid of deviating away from commercialism. 'Metal Still Means Danger' is definitely a solid album and whilst consisting of raspy vocals and low-tuned guitars, it still packs a punch. Download This: "Forged In Hell's Fire" For fans of: Absu, Deströyer 666, Carpathian Forest [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  DEVIL GONE PUBLIC 'Smokehound' INDEPENDENT For a band who has had the blessing of Brian Johnson (AC/DC) being their mentor, later split-up and then reformed, some surely were going to question the band's odds at a successful comeback. Well the answer is in the form of 'Smokehound', the band's debut album which comes glazed over with Southern Metal grit and brutally tantalising grooves, infectious enough to make you want to renew your life insurance. Devil Gone Public may hail from Florida, but their music is no Disney fairytale and the alligators cannot even chomp through this heavy sh*t. Instead your met with a sound with such force, not even the hurricanes can muster such heavy brutality, but one thing is for sure, Devil Gone Public could easily push themselves to be the next export out of the United States. Download This: "Poison The Well" - Click to listen For Fans of: Rage Against The Machine, 5 Finger Death Punch, Mastodon [8] RHYS STEVENSON  SLITEN6IX 'Hiraeth' INDEPENDENT Bolting together the grim and dank nature of Black Metal with the violence and abhorrent embodiment of Hardcore, Sliten6ix shed their Deathcore skin and emerge as a newfound entity, one with a horrific mauling in their vision, this comes in the form of their debut EP 'Hiraeth'. A thick, distorted mish-mash of shrieking, chaotic riffing, hellish drumming and an atmosphere so heavy it makes your last hangover seem weak compared to this beastly release. Sliten6ix are a force to be reckoned with and given this effort, they are sure to garner some wider attention, not to mention support bands like Denmark's Hexis in their wake. Sliten6ix are flying the flag for the Cambodian Metal scene. Download This: "Lesser Than The None" - Click to listen For Fans of: Hexis, She Must Burn, Black Metal / Hardcore [8] RHYS STEVENSON  EXENEMY 'The Choir Of The Martyrs' INDEPENDENT Exenemy are perhaps the East Asian Power Metal band we've all been waiting for, hailing from Bangladesh this majestic sextet dive in the deep end and amass a sound that's of the Sonata Arctica league. Dropping their highly impressive debut album 'The Choir Of The Martyrs', the Bengal boys of down-town Dhaka don't hold anything back and thus have served up a rather infectious, if not outstanding metal release that will take something special to succeed. Exenemy have the potential to go far with this effort and yet we might just see them make Wacken Open Air someday; they are that good. This Saudi-Bangladeshi outfit (keyboardist Mashuq Haque is Saudi Arabian) are riding high on the tides of euphoria and are clearly the one to watch from this part of the world for 2017. Download This: "Victory Serenade" - Click to listen For Fans of: Sonata Arctica, Powerwolf, Sabaton [9] RHYS STEVENSON  SHADOW OF INTENT 'Primordial' INDEPENDENT Deathcore is one of those genres that either one you love or hate, and two either is too damn cliche for it to make a statement or is seismically groundbreaking when produced. Suffice to say Shadow Of Intent have waltzed away from the cliche trap with their melodic, flashy onslaught of technical riffs, harmonious melodies and brutal underbelly. Considering 'Primordial' is the American trio's debut album, this is sure to get them noticed and snapped up by a label at some point in 2017, simply because the music that has come out of their mixing pot is a breathe of fresh air. There are no generic breakdowns and the brutality and melodic nature have been balanced so finely, it remains to be seen where they go on from here - the next album will have a lot of expectation riding on it. Download This: "The Shaping Sickness" - Click to listen For Fans of: Whitechapel, Rings Of Saturn, Fleshgod Apocalypse [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  THE EXILED MARTYR 'Stagnant Waters Breed Life' INDEPENDENT There's something breathing in the Arizonan desert, it's enraged with fury and inflamed by the streets of down-town Phoenix and it's ready to slay your soul, it simply has to be The Exiled Martyr. Here is a quintet with enough sensationalism in their music to cause a major blackout, by bolting together the flattering technicality of Progressive Metal with the monstrosity that embodies the Melodic Death / Metalcore crossover genre, the result is a magical masterpiece. 'Stagnant Waters Breed Life' is this band's debut album and it's one tight motherf*cker, deploying a mixture of clean, djent and melodic riffs at regular intervals in-between the drumming chaos and vocal assault, The Exiled Martyr have enough potential to gain considerable attention across the United States. Download This: "The Illuminist" - Click to listen For Fans of: The Black Dahlia Murder, Unearth, After The Burial [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  IONIC BOND 'Amavashya Lore' INDEPENDENT When you think of metal scenes in Asia, Bangladesh is one of many that you don't tend to think of and thus sadly doesn't gain a great deal of attention. But when bands like Ionic Bond enter the fray, you cannot deny that the scene is buzzing with talent as this twelve-legged leviathan of Modern Melodic Death Metal comes blazing out of the studio with their debut album 'Amavashya Lore', a twelve-track onslaught of pure inspiration, determination and above all passion for metal music. By mixing Modern Melodic Death Metal with Neo-Classical and Folk influences, perhaps it's the bands music that is the ionic bond between these two dynamic styles of metal music. Either way their debut album is groundbreaking and should hopefully serve as a platform for them to leap from into the wider, deeper pits of planet metal. Plus their Eluveitie cover is f*cking epic! Download This: "Crush The Iron Dome" - Click to listen For Fans of: Eluveitie, Children of Bodom, early-In Flames [8] RHYS STEVENSON  BEYOND FORGIVENESS
'The Ferryman's Shore' INDEPENDENT Gothic Folk Metallers Beyond Forgiveness unleash a 30 minute or so debut EP that flourishes as it passes, 'The Ferryman's Shore' takes you on a journey through delinquent harmonies, graceful symphonies and gritty angelic vocals that all entwine to make a sound that ticks all the boxes of being epic. To many this might be a sound that is too cliche within the 'female-fronted' (that tag should be dumped) symphonic metal world, but it works, and with that in mind Beyond Forgiveness certainly know their craft as they deploy the whole beauty and the beast aesthetic with heavenly female vocals crashing against bearish, grizzly vocals. All in all this EP is a delight to listen to, it might not be the best the band can offer, but it's a positive start. Download This: "Perserverance" - Click to listen For Fans of: Midnattsol, Lyriel, Epica [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON
0 Comments
 NIGHTMARE A.D. 'Corruptors' YAB MOUNG Even in the smallest countries across the world, there is bound to be a metal band or indeed someone listening to metal music awaiting discovery. Take for example Cambodian Thrashers Nightmare A.D. who have just released their debut EP 'Corruptors', the title does not need much explanation as does not their own views on society as a whole in this mainly-Buddhist nation. By unleashing a chaotic mix of breakneck Thrash Metal with flash riffs giving the sound added harmony and Hardcore lacing it with spicy attitude, the 'Corruptors' EP is a good sign of things to come and yet its production sound is crystal clear, something most people would not envisage happening in a country like Cambodia... yet did anyone foresee metal arising? Clearly Nightmare A.D. have their visions in check, they are sure to go far. Download This: "Dissent Surge" - Click to listen For Fans of: Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, Nuclear Assault [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  NARSARAKH 'Prevail' INDEPENDENT If you're craving for some raw Death Metal, something laden with thick distorted riffs, muffled growling and an atmosphere as gritty as a bullet storm, look no further than Narsarakh's premier demo 'Prevai'. Hailing from Brunei, this four-piece machine waste no time in crafting a sound so underground it gives a solid nod to the early days of extreme underground metal. 'Prevail' offers a 15-minute journey from which one can experience incomprehensible lyrics, pounding drums and guitars so Black Metal-esque, you'd begin to wonder what genre exactly this Bruneian outfit can be included in. It's the sort of raw sound that would provide itself as the perfect accompaniment to a seance or candlelit event, it's atmosphere as bleak as night and the music as nasty as death itself. For Fans of: Murder Squad, Carpathian Forest, early-Cannibal Corpse Download This: "Malevolent Coronation" [7] RHYS STEVENSON  RADTSKAFFEN 'Worldwide Anarchy' INDEPENDENT Get your dancing shoes in, switch on the disco lights and get that groove on, for the debut EP by Denmark's Groove / Thrash stalwarts Radtskaffen will have you sweating through your clothes like it's Saturday Night Fever. From the ultra funky 'Deus Lo Vult' to the full-on face-melting 'Oblivion', the 'Worldwide Anarchy' EP will keep you amused for a long time, just be sure to pay your dues at the end for wanting more. For a band fresh on the scene, they certainly have enough potential to go far, just as long as they harness the sound they've developed on this EP. The music won't be hard to sing to, but pronouncing the band name probably will be the sole challenge, after all it's Danish for... Download This: "Deus Lo Vult' - Click to listen For Fans of: Metallica, Sworn Amongst, Soulfly [7] RHYS STEVENSON  QAF 'Muthalath Al A'asarem - The Triangle Of Esraam' INDEPENDENT Very little is known about Qaf, a project run by two Egyptians who indulge in Oriental Black Metal, singing about Arabic and Persian Myth. That said, their premier EP 'Muthalath Al A'asarem - The Triangle Of Esraam' is a bitter and raw slice of Black Metal that encases you in a blazing atmosphere. Exclusively singing in their native Arabic, Qaf go full-pelt with this EP and as a result clearly demonstrate that they know how to put together a winning release off the bat. Whilst this might not appeal to Black Metal aficionados, those who crave the darker side of metal will certainly wet themselves at the almighty sound here produced. 'Muthalath Al A'asarem - The Triangle Of Esraam' is a statement of intent, that ordinary people will not be put down by Conservative figures, it's a punch in the face for all metal elitists. Download This: "Al Qassam W Al Qurbaan (The Oath and the Offering)" - Click to listen For Fans of: Arallu, Melechesh, Borknagar [7] RHYS STEVENSON  THE PERFECT MASS 'World On Fire' SALUTE It seems that ever since Arctic Spirits made headway as Greenland's first metal band (known at least), the genre has come in leaps and bounds on this remote island of ice. The latest export from these barren lands is the one-man project The Perfect Mass, masterminded by Kunuk Groenvold the interesting mix of Black Metal, Melodic Metal, Death Metal and classic Heavy Metal certainly demands attention and at the very least, respect. What makes 'World On Fire', the debut album by The Perfect Mass so special, is it's unique and intricate combination of raw production, unrelenting power cruising through the vocals and music, but also it's unchallenged nature at creating a sound symbolic to this project, one that hopefully will echo across planet metal with positive results. Download This: "Faith" - Click to listen For Fans of: Carpathian Forest, God Dethroned, King Diamond [7] RHYS STEVENSON  DARK PHANTOM 'Nation Of Dogs' SALUTE Underneath the whole blanketing of ISIS / ISIL-related news is a burgeoning and establishment defying metal scene brooding on Iraqi sands. The latest addition to this awesome scene is Dark Phantom's debut album 'Nation Of Dogs', a bellied-up smacking of gritty Heavy / Thrash Metal that would be sure to keep you entertained for ages. By mixing growling and almost Arab-like (traditional singing) vocals together, Dark Phantom embrace the Oriental Metal style with open arms and as a result connect with the heritage more than they did on their premier EP. 'Nation Of Dogs' clearly is a slight dig at religion, but let's not go there, in fact we can say that Dark Phantom's new effort is one that most metalheads will find intriguing. Acrassicauda might have escaped Iraq, but Dark Phantom still breathes the dusty air, spewing out some rather blindingly-decent songs as a result, rest assured we will see more of this lot in years to come. Download This: "Judgement Call" - Click to listen For Fans of: Holy Moses, Sepultura, Death Angel [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  LUST OF A DYING BREED 'Cat Of Nine Tails' INDEPENDENT In our quest to cover at least one metal band from each metal scene in existence, our attention turns towards Kenyan Death Metal / Deathcore stalwarts Lust Of A Dying Breed of whose 2012 EP 'Cat of Nine Tails' is the main critiquing point. Whilst as you can imagine there is very little in the way of decent production, clarity or refined elements, it's made up of determination, aggression and dedicate to the metal music art. 'Cat Of Nine Tails' is a delinquent romp through the slowly-but-steadily emerging 'Africacore' movement (if we can call it so), expect nothing else but a splattering of gutturally-rotten vocals, menacing riffs and double bass drums so brutal you would need clean underwear after the unexpected spontaneous poop. Lust Of A Dying Breed might not be the finest Deathcore / Death Metal outfits around, but they're flying the flag for the Kenyan Metal scene, long may they continue. Download This: "Fearless" - Click to listen For Fans of: Cannibal Corpse, Jungle Party, early-Whitechapel [7] RHYS STEVENSON  SHAMBLES 'Realm Of Darkness Shrine' INDEPENDENT It's taken 19 years for the first debut album by Thailand's Shambles to drop, now you'd think given the lengthy duration the band would have packed in by now... clearly they haven't. Sadly those years culminating in the underground Death Metal scene have not enabled the vocals to have wondrous prominence on the release, instead they're largely low-fi and lack any real punch. Ironically the drums and thick riffs deliver the punch voided by the vocals, 'Realm Of Darkness Shrine' may well be the band's debut album but it's one that will probably get minimal attention outside of the South-East Asian Metal communities if not for a very select handful of passionate extreme metalheads, that or those thirsty for metal from the more exotic lands. However, 'Realm Of Darkness Shrine' live is probably different story and one can imagine the carnage this album would cause when unleashed on the unsuspecting (or suspecting) masses. Download This: "Bitter Abysmal Depths" For Fans of: Morbid Angel, Death, Cannibal Corpse 'Realm Of Darkness Shrine' is out 15th November via an Independent release [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON  MAYLA 'Possession Of The Wretched' INDEPENDENT Truth be told, the whole Deathcore is generally dominated by the Americans and Russians, but in between the two power-houses are bands like Mayla who are standing up for their national metal scene. Hailing from Latvia, this quintet hold nothing back with their debut album as they go balls-to-the-wall and unleash a horrific belter that is guaranteed to make even the most ardent 'core fan piss their pants. By strapping together influences from the Deathcore, Death Metal and Groove Metal styles, Mayla conjure up a sound destined to attract attention from the likes of Metal Blade Records and Nuclear Blast. Preternatural's Sergey Baidikov guest vocals on 'Obsessive Putrification', helping Mayla to come out the Latvian underground with such unrelenting force, that they are ready to take on the European masses and lay down the law with their own crushing style of Death-laden Deathcore. Whilst listening to the album, toilet paper is advised. Download This: "Lick The Dust" - click to listen For Fans of: Whitechapel, Ease Of Disgust, Livarkahil [8] RHYS STEVENSON  CHASING THE RISE
'Chapters' INDEPENDENT Leading the Metalcore style in their home nation of Lithuania, Chasing The Rise are certainly capable of delivering music heavy enough to challenge their American cousins. This was proven on their premier EP 'The Dawn' and even more so now on their follow-up EP 'Chapters', a cataclysmic concoction of Melodic Metal, Metalcore and technical riffage. If you like, they dabble in the trending Modern Metal style and yet whilst not fully embracing the style, remain to the sound they devised since their inception. There is no question that 'Chapters' is a delightful romp through five tracks of energised, electric and pulsating modern metalcore. They are set for big things, so come 2017 expect them to be touring on your doorstep. European festivals are certainly on the table for this lot. Download This: "Maybe It's Just Me" - Click to listen For Fans of: Bring Me The Horizon, Bleeding Through, Architects [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON |
If you enjoy reading this content, please consider a donation DonateMetal III
3rd Chronicles of Metal Music Reviews © 2011-2022
Global Metal Apocalypse Archives
May 2021
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed