CORPSE MACHINE 'Annihilate' Michigan's Corpse Machine clearly don't hang around, not only did they form in January this year, their debut EP 'Annihilate' was released in April this year, they must be on a mission and yet their EP speaks of promise, brewing a storm of underground Black / Death Metal with some Doom Metal is not always easy and yet Corpse Machine seem to do it without any restriction, even if they are part of a scene that is overly-saturated with rockstar want-to-be's. 'Annihilate' takes the very essential essence of the underground raw sound and ladens it with some interesting riffs (sometimes venturing into the Groove Metal style; seen around the '3:27-3:44' mark on the song "Corporate Scum"), pitch perfect drums and scarily shrieking vocals. The new version of Black / Death Metal could have now arisen to take the US metal scene by storm. Download This: "Corporate Scum" For Fans of: Carpathian Forest, Behemoth, Belphegor [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON SABATON 'Swedish Empire Live' NUCLEAR BLAST Unleashing their first ever DVD is Swedish Power Metal veterans Sabaton and boy does it pack a sensational feeling, filmed primarily at their headlining slot at the highly known Polish Woodstock festival, the Swedes deliver the sensationalism that you always experience during their live sets, now whilst many would agree it does not compare to the DVD, the reality is that this is an achievement and to relive some memories they have to be documented. But face the facts, there was 600,000 punters at this festival, that's enough to fill the entire Arsenal Emirates stadium tenfold!! Furthermore the DVD boasts four hours of footage and so if you're going on holiday and are not driving, then you have a good excuse to watch Sabaton's 'Swedish Empire Live'; would be even more apt if you were going on holiday to Sweden. Fans of this sensational Power Metal band will hear some of the old classics to the new hot songs, there is something here from everyone and other recordings include performances in London, Oberhausen and the well known Swedish city of Gothenburg, now whether you are a fan or not, this is a momentous piece of Metal music to own, make no mistake about it as the truth is that Sabaton are true Power Metal gods, question is can they match this emphatic release in 2014? 'Swedish Empire Live' is out 20th September 2013 via Nuclear Blast. The release comes in various formats: 2 Blu-Ray Digi / 2 DVD Digi / DVD (Poland only) CD Digi / 2LP (limited black vinyl in gatefold + poster) / 2LP (limited yellow vinyl in gatefold + poster) !!!Nuclear Blast Mailorder only!!! Earbook (2 Blu-Ray + 2 DVD + DVD + exclusive bonus CD, 48 pages Earbook) Special Leather Hardcover Earbook !!!Nuclear Blast Mailorder only!!! (2 Blu-Ray + 2DVD + DVD + exclusive bonus CD, 48 pages Earbook) [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON ZOLTAR SPEAKS 'Save As I Save' Taking their band name from an unusual antique arcade fortune teller machine featured in the Tom Hanks film 'Big', Somerset's Zoltar Speaks unleash their highly-anticipated debut album 'Save As I Save', featuring much of the classic Melodic / Alternative Metal that the female-fronted armada is capable of delivering, the vocals do not disappoint as they wallow in between the alleys of Amy Lee and Kobra Paige and feature an accompanying attitude that resides within vocalist Louise Body, therefore it is inevitable that the music in it's entirety is going to be unique and phenomenal and boy i it is, following the killer instinct through the wizardry amassed on the guitars and the precision exercised on the drums, 'Save As I Save' is definitely a contender for debut album of the year, but let's not get too optimistic as it's not December yet, all that can be said right now is that 'Save As I Save' by Zoltar Speaks is an album every metal fan should own, this work of art is their key to nationwide recognition, therefore watch this space... 'Save As I Save' is out 11th November 2013 via an Independent release For Fans of: Evanescence, Kobra & The Lotus, Barbe-Q-Barbies, Vanilla Ninja [10] RHYS STEVENSON RAVENOUSE 'The Last Gate' You can always be assured that when any Italian band dives into the Gothic Metal pool, comes out drenched with such immense power that the resulting music is simply divine. Ravenouse do exactly that and as a result they unleash the erotically charged masterpiece that is their debut album 'The Last Gate', featuring the much beloved duet in the highly recognizable beauty and the beast style. Ravenouse deliver a generous mix of angelic heavenly female vocals with devilish growling male vocals, which in turn become savaged by some epic harmonious symphonies through the majestic usage of the keyboards and doused with an array of riffs and drumming patterns that drive this sensational release forward, make no mistake about it Ravenouse are the next Lacuna Coil. There is only one way to sum up Ravenouse in their entirety, and that is that they are the Modern Gothic Metal band the world has been waiting for. Download This: "Flying Angel" For Fans of: Lacuna Coil, H.I.M, Evanescence [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON IMMORALIS 'The Great Collapse' Without a doubt possibly the most exciting new band to emerge from the American abyss all year, forging a sound that circulates around symphonies, orchestral pieces, Death Metal and Metalcore, Immoralis' premier album 'The Great Collapse' is the sound that everyone must hear. From start to finish, the emphatic symphonic backdrops that cascade like waterfalls on top of the jagged bedrock of Death Metal / Metalcore vocals, set the tone for the riffs to crash against, whilst the drums deliver the final face-punch that will enable Immoralis to gain well earned international attention from this Teutonic masterpiece. So what happens when elegance, brutality and six algorithmic minds come together? Simple, total apocalyptic musical mayhem, enter Immoralis and their own stance on metal... dubbed 'Symphonic Orchestral Deathcore'. Download This: "Trudge This Lonely Road" For Fans of: Bleeding Through, Born of Osiris, Fleshgod Apocalypse [10] RHYS STEVENSON LIGHTLESS MOOR 'The Poem - Crying My Grief To A Feeble Dawn' WORMHOLEDEATH Probably the darkest metal band in terms of imagery and musical ideology to emerge from the sun-kissed island of Sardinia. Unleashing a shadowy strike of Gothic Doom Metal is the Italian sextet Lightless Moor of whose debut album 'The Poem - Crying My Grief To A Feeble Dawn' will certainly turn heads as it engulfs the atmosphere with everything that is to be loved about Italian Gothic Metal, the angelic and vibrant female vocals crashing against the deep, growling and beastly male vocals to give a duet feeling, that added with the erotic harmonics from the keyboards and raw brutality combined through the drumming and guitar playing, all intricately balance each other out to combine as one hell of a decent release. 'The Poem - Crying My Grief To A Feeble Dawn' speaks elegance, majestic elements and classical beauty, accept no substitutes. Download This: "Cento Respiri" For Fans of: Lacrimas Profundere, Lacuna Coil, Paradise Lost [8] RHYS STEVENSON PSYCHEMA 'Bygones' INVERSE Finland seems to always be producing sensational metal and rock bands, either it's in their blood or it's in the water they drink, this certainly seems to be the way when especially bands like Psychema arise again to drop another release in their history. The Progressive Melodic Metal outfit purges out the complexities of Progressive music and instead adopt a rather alternative approach, but not in the sense that they are completely detached from the said genre, in fact the upcoming EP 'Bygones' shifts between elements of aggression, lusciousness and calmness, from the ever-changing vocals that shift from screaming to melodic and the guitars and drums working harmoniously in sync with each other, there is nothing to say that 'Bygones' will not attract attention across Europe, it simply is a wonderful masterpiece that is guaranteed to be a favorite amongst most Progressive music fans. For Fans of: Dream Theater, H.I.M., Opeth 'Bygones' is out 19th October via Inverse Records [8] RHYS STEVENSON KINETIK 'Greed' Basically if it's Thrash Metal then you know full well it's going to be fast, pumped up and unbelievably tricky on the riffs, Kinetik is no exception to this. The Italian five-piece have undoubtedly invested decent musical ideas and channeled them into creating a sound that speaks 80's Thrash through and through. On the other hand their debut demo 'Greed' might as well be lauded as just another Thrash Metal release, but let's face it there is not much that can be done to change that. As for the demo itself it speaks volume, furious crushing brutality and would sound sensational inside any Roman Colosseum. Featuring trippy double bass drumming, tight riffs and vocals that would make any Italian stallion go from trot to full gallop and as the music takes you into sheer galloping speed, you better be ready to experience painful whiplash. Download This: "Greed" For Fans of: Slayer, Gama Bomb, Evile [8] RHYS STEVENSON ANCIENT DESIRE 'Ancient Desire' Unleashing their debut self-titled EP, is the Czech sextet Ancient Desire. Their premier self-titled EP incorporates the beautiful essences found within Symphonic Gothic Metal; that classic beauty and the beast setup doused with the feeling of Central European elegance forming the underbelly of this band, whilst at the same time layering the music with the bard and theatrics of the historic Bohemian concerts, as if this band was the metallic form of the Prague Symphonic Orchestra. No joke, Ancient Desire are sure to break out of the Czech Metal scene with such oomph and gusto that followers of Within Temptation will undoubtedly have a new band to follow, the 'Ancient Desire' EP is a sign that Symphonic Gothic Metal style is not going to be always associated with the Dutch and that this Czech unit are assimilating a sound that will rock a few boats. Download This: "The Master Andiron From Lucanid" For Fans of: Within Temptation, Tarja-era Nightwish, Prague Symphonic Orchestra [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON MYRIAD LIGHTS
'Mark Of Vengeance' There are times when a Heavy Metal band releases their material and it turns out to be classic s**t, not in the positive way either. Italian quartet Myriad Lights narrowly escape the trap door with their premier album released last year, 'Mark Of Vengeance' comes six years after the band's inception and the instant question of 'what the hell are they playing at?' is on many peoples lips, but when you hear the album 'Mark Of Vengeance', it does offer some good music for sure, but overall it's just another heavy metal album, there is nothing spectacular about it and some of the solo's do not fit in well with the music pattern, let alone the drums seeming to be stuck on one beat throughout the album! It's one to release an album, but to release an album that lacks certain feelings is a bad move. Download This: "Fury Of Time" For fans of: 'where does one start?' [6] RHYS STEVENSON
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QUARTZ 'Live & Revisited' Sometimes the classic ways are the best, even though Quartz are no stranger to the metal scene after being around on and off since their first album back in 1977 and of course their formation in 1974, 1977 being the year that Mr. Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath produced Quartz's debut album, small world eh? 39 years later and the five gentleman from Birmingham unleash their second ever live album 'Live & Revisited', proving they still have the agility and firepower to deliver such intense rock and metal music in one whole release. It just goes to prove you cannot knock off anyone who still has the ability to bang out a good tune, with that fuzziness of the guitar still present, the drums still delivering the thunderous sounds and the vocals harmoniously flowing freely out of David Garner, Quartz are far from finished yet! Download This: "Mainline Rider" For Fans of: Black Sabbath, Van Halen, 70's rock and metal. [8] RHYS STEVENSON FOETAL JUICE 'Big Trouble In Little Vagina' GRINDSCENE With a name that sounds like a pornographic post-mortem novel it is no wonder that Mancunian Death Metal plunderers Foetal Juice found a 'Big Trouble In Little Vagina', simply put it is pus-infested metal that will make you violently sick at the smelly hint of gore-rotten flesh and bad breath from licking out.... that's far enough you dirty bastards. 'Big Trouble In Little Vagina' broods slamming Death Metal / Grindcore in an rather unique way, through the use of death growls and obliterating speed on the drums and guitar sections, this is a murder waiting to happen. With hints of Cerebral Bore so indefinitely apparent it is always seemed likely that Foetal Juice are going to end up paying homage to a potential Bloodstock appearance next year, well we all need a bit of goreology now and then, oh wait that's the Saw films.... For Fans of: Gorerotted, Cerebral Bore, Deicide. 'Big Trouble In Little Vagina' is out 7th October via Grindscene Records and all main UK retailers [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON MEAN MESSIAH 'Hell' Being part of one of the Czech Republic's most notable metal bands is an honor, but to carry on the pillaging is another thing altogether. Entering the affray is the one-man project Mean Messiah which is the product of brainchild Dan Friml and predominantly focuses on a hybrid mix of Industrial Metal, Death Metal and Thrash Metal, although we call it 'Modern Cyber Metal. His debut album 'Hell' is pretty self-explanatory in that he delivers musical hell, in fact it is so fast, brutal and technically challenged that a mathematician could not even calculate the time signatures, a bouncer would be weakened by the sheer force of this unrelenting album and of course it would out-do Petr Cech's reaction speed. Make no mistake about it Mean Messiah are poised to go far, it would be extremely surprising if this project does not as it has everything you could ask for, except it could be a bit more Industrial. Just a bit. Download This: "Spiritual Resolution" For Fans of: Holy Moses, Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory [8] RHYS STEVENSON PLOUGH 'The 10th Circle' The Dutch newcomers are here, well that was a bit of a brash starting statement to make so let's reiterate, the Dutch storm is brewing in the North sea.... right. Anyhow Plough's debut EP 'The 10th Circle' completely demolishes your senses with a cleverly weaved together sound of crushing Death Metal and funk-laden Groove Metal. The band name is quite unconventional for the style of music as it implies a farmer relation, not saying that this EP is sweet and tasty as potato mind you. 'The 10th Circle' is classic debut EP, full of oomph and utmost promise, let's just hope that the quintet from Amsterdam have what it takes to keep this sensational music going, it may be early days but the lads have got a fair way to go, even if 'The 10th Circle' is tantalizingly brutal, featuring gritty vocals, snappy riffs and solid drumming. Download This: "Emily Rose" For Fans of: Opeth, Machine Head, Pantera [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON CRIMSON CHRYSALIS 'Crimson Passion Cry' RAVENHEART MUSIC On the international circuit, South Africa is rarely looked over as a solid country for producing metal bands, it comes to as no surprise then that Crimson Chrysalis unleash their new album 'Crimson Passion Cry' via British label Ravenheart Music. Forged in the footsteps of some of most erotic and sensational Symphonic bands around this planet, the epic delicacy that lead member and vocalist Rene van den Berg has delivered is so musically palatable that it leaves a desire to hear more. Weaving together the elegance of soothing symphonies with the dramatics and unrelenting power of operatic atmospherics, Crimson Chrysalis are poised to become South Africa's answer to Finland's almighty Nightwish, a new chapter in Symphonic Metal story has just begun... Download This: "Deo Volente" For Fans of: Tarja-Nightwish era, Tarja Turunen, Within Temptation [9] RHYS STEVENSON PETROL PATROL 'Domestic Warfare' It must be said that upon listening to Petrol Patrol's premier EP 'Domestic Warfare', the feeling of nostalgia in Thrash Metal context begins to sink in, however at the same time the feeling of modern thrash metal overthrows that nostalgia with the amount of power experienced by a Swiss avalanche, or if you like, imagine being trampled over by a pack of St. Bernards. Therefore a warning must be issued as spinal surgery will be needed after being audibly doused with fast-paced riffs, grilling vocals and Teutonic drumming, all of which is inevitably experienced on Petrol Patrol's debut EP. Make no mistake about it, Petrol Patrol are poised to become the next successful export out of the Alpine country and with a fast-paced selection of music, watchmakers would be timed out easily and listeners of 'Domestic Warfare' will realize that Petrol Patrol's music is without a doubt, sweet as Toblerone. Download This: "Ravaged" For Fans of: Slayer, The Haunted, Sepultura [8] RHYS STEVENSON ANTIGOD 'The Collector' Delivering their highly controversial debut album is the Czech quintet Antigod, armed with their modern style of Death / Thrash Metal and an attitude that would piss a few people of, the premier release 'The Collector' explodes into life with the chaotic sounds of fast-paced music with such gritty growling vocals that it makes disembowelment seem like a daily occurrence. Now lets be honest you would find a lot of hatred towards a band that sings predominantly about how religion is corrupt, well one glance at the artwork which shows a half pope, half business tyrant masked behind a Satanic goat mask, this resonates not only within the album title, but also the music this tight unit delivers. Beneath the soft look of this band is an interior designed to make your music life bloody hell. 'The Collector' is poised to get this band some attention across the European mainland and as long as they keep the musical bombardment going, they are sure to be guaranteed a prestigious label deal in the near future. Download This: "Something In The Mirror" For Fans of: Early-Sepultura, The Haunted, Hatesphere [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON DEGOLA 'Corrosão' How many times does a Thrash Metal band try to pretty much re-write either the Metallica or Slayer discography? Increasingly more and more bands fall into that trap, Degola is no exception. But rather than just playing flat out a revamped version of 'Angel of Death', the Brazilian four-piece piece together a sound that circulates early Sepultura and adds a few modern elements into it through the use of subtle breakdowns. This is evident on their debut album 'Corrosão' and yes the songs are all in Portuguese, but don't let that throw you off from listening to Degola. If they stopped letting their instruments rust up from the heavy humidity of the Amazon, they could easily become an instant hit, but it will take another album or so before they reach the shores of Portugal, let alone Europe. Guaranteed, a hit and miss album that some Thrash Metal fans may smile or snarl at. Download This: "Alternativa" For Fans of: Early-Sepultura, Evile, Metallica [7] RHYS STEVENSON MAXDMYZ 'Cosmic Hearse' RENEGADE So picture this, Skindred sleeping with Fear Factory with Korn and SYL laying underneath the bed, a bit of an odd combo no? The same analogy can be applied to the 2010 release 'Cosmic Hearse' by London industrialists Maxdymyz, what happens here is that Nu Metal style vocals get covered with Industrial style elements and finalises with a total complicated sound being developed. Let's face it, trying to nail this album and band into one genre, you would have greater luck at headbanging to this sensational release. With Groove metal also making a subtle appearance as the vocals and riffs establish a musical chemistry with each other and nitro-glycerine explodes the drums into life, 'Cosmic Hearse' is effectively the upgraded and funkier version of Killing Miranda's sole release 'Consummate'. Oh how London is changing.... Download This: "Sayer" For Fans of: Mindless Self Indulgence, Skindred, Fear Factory [8] RHYS STEVENSON SPACE CHASER
'Decapitron' And the bill of the Gesundheitssystem (German health system) will now rocket thanks to German thrashers Space Chaser delivering their anticipated debut EP 'Decapitron'. Prepare to thrash those heads as the five-piece deliver a slice of modernized Slayer on their insanely-fast EP. From start to finish there is no stopping this mob from demolishing every last sense within your body, this is a release designed to maim the posers of the Thrash Metal scene. All four songs are good as one another and so to fully appreciate the band you have a choice of four songs to listen to, but the crux of this release is the unrelenting speed on the drums, rolling so fast it would make Michael Schumacher driving a mobility scooter almost like comparing the tortoise to the hare, except the hare wins. With such fast riff shredding going on alongside the blitz-like drums and the vocals wallowing in between Heavy Metal and Power Metal intonations, 'Decapitron' by Space Chaser is easy to class as 'Teutonic Thrash Metal'. Download This: "Drunken Zombies Killing Spree" For Fans of: Slayer, Gama Bomb, Holy Moses, Evile [9] RHYS STEVENSON ENVINYA 'Inner Silence' MASSACRE No wonder they got signed when launching their debut album this year, Germany's Envinya delivers a stellar sound that incorporates elements of melodic metal in both the guitar solo's and majestic vocals as well as dabbing the tracks off of their debut album with evident emphatic atmospheric feelings. 'Inner Silence' is the debut album by this Melodic Heavy Metal outfit and boy does it rock, what with the vocals being powerfully delivered by both Mery Díaz and Thomas Knauer, you get the feeling that this six-piece could easily break out into the European metal circuit. As for the album 'Inner Silence', it's one of those releases you have to replay again and again to fully appreciate the music, but with that comes extra satisfaction, make no mistake Envinya are going places. Download This: "Inner Silence" For Fans of: Evanescence, 3 Inches of Blood, Lordi [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON TAVÚ 'Clamor Victorium, Clamor Silentii' Tavú is another prime example that the Puerto Rican metal scene is comfortably in full throttle and is ready to make a statement on the international circuit, fusing together progressive and groove elements to the underbelly of each song on their second album 'Clamor Victorium, Clamor Silentii' whilst inducing pinches of Thrash Metal and Lamb of God style vocals. If you were expecting 'Clamor Victorium, Clamor Silentii' to become another album that is full of ideas and no satisfactory output, think again. Switching between the Spanish and English languages whilst the music itself does the greater talking, embrace yourselves in a matrix-like sound of aggressive and clean vocals that come coupled with skull-cracking riffs and ballistic drumming. Tavú may have been going 17 years, but with this new release it only seems like yesterday that they first emitted their 'Plutonic Hybrid Metal'. Download This: "System Without Honor" For Fans of: Lamb of God, The Devin Townsend Project, Gojira, Meshuggah [8] RHYS STEVENSON BLACK INFINITY '666 Metal' SONGNAM What happens when you mix Melodic Death Metal, Gothic Metal and experimental metal with the flavors of the Orient, you end up with a sound that cannot be found anywhere else. Of course Vietnam's Black Infinity ticks that box completely as their debut album '666 Metal' released four years ago broods a truly authentic Oriental feel through the keyboards and riffs whilst the vocals differentiate across the eleven songs, venturing from totally aggressive to really soft and mellow, the latter found perfectly on 'Embracing Hearts' as Hưng Tiến Nguyễn delivers the vocals in the same style as Ville Valo of HIM. What is even more striking about the album is that after the previously mentioned song, comes a three minute classical piano track that to many Western metal fans would seem highly unorthodox and a little taboo to metal itself! But that's what makes Black Infinity and their triumphant album '666 Metal' all the more special, they're doing metal there way and not following any rules, Black Infinity are flying the flag for the Vietnamese Metal scene with their own style of metal... '666 Metal'. Download This: "Deathbed Illusion" For Fans of: HIM, Before The Dawn, Deadlock, Catamenia [9] RHYS STEVENSON INHERITOR 'From Dust 'N Passion' STORM BLAZE ENTERTAINMENT When you come to think of globalization is just a mass worldwide spread of information, technology, culture and various other segments that play a part in everyday life, but when immigration comes into play a whole host of interesting results creep up. This goes for the Melodic Death Metal band Inheritor who hail from Colombia but have an American vocalist as the forefront, however going back three years and the quintet's debut album 'From Dust 'N Passion' was unleashed into the wilds of the Colombian music industry and with it comes a angelic form of brutal tranquility in respect to the sensational riffs and drumming acting as a solid foundation, whilst the classic beauty and the beast style vocals do the forward commands through the male vocalist growling and the female vocalist's singing harmony. 'From Dust 'N Passion' is a must have for anyone who loves music that contrasts itself from another part of the music itself. Download This: "Beloved Forsaken" For Fans of: Children of Bodom, Nightwish, Lacuna Coil [8] RHYS STEVENSON LEAVE SCARS 'The Arrival' Belgian old school Thrashers Leave Scars drop a bombshell in the form of their debut album 'The Arrival', now lets be honest the only single great thing about this album is that it features everything you would expect from an Old School Thrash Metal album, full on face-melting riffs blending in with unrelenting solos and blisteringly-fast drumming, as well as brutal vocals that will leave your hearing in tatters as the Belgian five-piece smash your senses apart. 'The Arrival' is an apt enough album title as the arrival of a resurgent force in Belgian metal is truly on the cards. it may have taken eight years for the album to finally see the daylight, but f**k me they could not have done it any better. This warrants a Wacken slot next year! Download This: "The Son" For Fans of: Kreator, Metallica, Evile [8] RHYS STEVENSON APE TO GOD 'Ape To God' It's not exactly a musical pun on Charles Darwin's theory of mankind evolution nor a dig at the conflict between science and Christianity, instead Ape To God is an interesting band. Ok, so their self-titled debut EP wallows in what I just said in as far as the artwork and song titles are concerned, but on the other hand there are no monkey chants or banana skins that cause the band to slip up, instead what you have here is a brutally solid example of perfectly executed Groove / Death Metal. Spewing out a tidal wave of gut-rotten vocals, doused with the acidic riffs that surge throughout this release like metal conducting electricity and the drums delivering wave after atomic wave of sheer power. It may not be 100% groundbreaking, but what could be on the cards here is Poland's next biggest export. Having two songs with the words simply switched around sums up their musical output, switching all the time and in doing so creating lush musical fusion. Download This: "Fire & The Straws" For Fans of: Debauchery, DevilDriver, Six Feet Under [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON THRONE OF HERESY 'Realms Of Desecration' It is an inescapable fact that upcoming Death Metal bands in the Swedish abyss find it tough to make themselves known owing to the mass influx of said genre in said nationality, of course providing a twist on the musical brutality of Death Metal is key and Throne Of Heresy does exactly that. Unleashing hell through their EP 'Realms Of Desecration', the five-piece masochists crush the splintering whimpering of all of those 'trying to be hard and cool' unsigned Death Metal bands that wallow so apathetically in the music scene, not implying that they are all talentless or lacking in imagination, but more so implying that Throne Of Heresy shows how it should be done, furthermore there are evident whiffs of Black Metal murmuring in the background. Now just imagine a hornet swarm stinging your eyes out and then imagine being gutted by a python armada, that simply put is just the descriptive form of this music, in reality it is much, much harsher. Prepare for the oncoming storm... Download This: "Souls To Suffer" For Fans of: Bloodbath, Watain, "Filthy Death Metal" [9] RHYS STEVENSON RETURN TO INNOCENCE 'The Ring Of Moon' METALGATE It's about time Western Europe woke up to the reality that they are no longer the greatest of metal producers, well not dismissing that the region delivers top notch acts, but for now pay attention to Return To Innocence of whose fourth album overall and first album since their relaunch glimmers in sensational musicianship. Pummeling out a carefully balanced mix of Doom Metal and Death Metal, this Czech ensemble assimilates the rulebook by crafting their own unique sound through the use of Death Metal vocals and drums, with an impending doom feeling arising from the delinquent symphonies and elegant keyboard notes, even though the album itself features two prominent musicians and ten other musicians delivering contributions on a whole plethora of departments, the music itself is one of a kind that you will never find anywhere else, come on 'Symphonic Doomed Death Metal'? Download This: "Blood-Related" For Fans of: Therion, Amorphis, Tristania [8] RHYS STEVENSON PAST THE FALL 'Beggars At The Liar's Banquet' Bringing a whole new variation to the whole Groove / Thrash trend, new boys Past The Fall accentuate the genre to a whole new level with their tasty debut EP 'Beggars At The Liar's Banquet'. Armed with a plethora of riffs that builds up the suspense of each song with a feeling of total chaotic mayhem being developed, leads to a smashing sound that will as a result cause some hefty moshing. These London lads may be new on the block, but if they keep this effort up and display it on a greater level for their debut album, they could see a record label deal well within the next few years. 'Beggars At The Liar's Banquet' shines with potential and delivers a beautiful sound that will captivate a whole host of metal fans. Download This: "Injustice" For Fans of: Pantera, Alice In Chains, Metallica [8] RHYS STEVENSON KIN BENEATH CHORUS 'Futuristic Composed' SPREADING DYSPHORIA INDUSTRIES Ever rarely do you find Death Metal / Hardcore / Deathcore bands that manage to separate themselves from the plethora of cloned bands out there, let's face it without a creative mind you are doomed to become one of those clones. Kin Beneath Chorus avoid that dreaded fate by unleashing a barrage of Death Metal / Deathcore with the occasional progressive and technical element here and there in unruly fashion, by dropping the A-bomb on the Greek Metal scene, their debut album 'Futuristic Composed' brews up an apocalyptic sound that will crush anyone's soul to death and bleed their ears dry. Showing that the economical state is not impacting on this band, they do more than just smash plates, they smash your face in with a musical blast that would make any hardcore kid cry like a wuss. The message is, Kin Beneath Chorus are taking their scene to newer heights and taking themselves to the European circuit armed and ready for assault, the massacre has only just begun.... Download This: "Split-Scree" For Fans of: Ease Of Disgust, early-Bring Me The Horizon, 'Insanely brutal music' [10] RHYS STEVENSON TEODASIA
'Upwards' Making their debut album speak one more word than a fairytale story is Italian female-fronted metal band Teodasia with their luscious production 'Upwards' which binds together sexy symphonies, four melodic maestro's and a ton of epic, fantasy metal. Playing music in the combined style of Within Temptation - cross - Epica and layering it with their own twist of powerful ballads, booming musical compositions and an artwork to match the dramatics of the overall masterpiece. Delving into the finer details and you find the true passion that Italian Gothic Metal bands seem to have, and so moving into 2013 it is time for Teodasia to move 'Upwards' into the heavens, for this is the 'Symphoratic metal' (Symphonic Operatic) band the Italian Metal scene has been longing for. Download This: "Aurora" For Fans of: Within Temptation, Epica, Lacuna Coil [9] RHYS STEVENSON CHASING THE RISE 'The Dawn' There are some Metalcore bands that try so much fancy stuff that they over-complicate the sound, there are some Metalcore bands that are too basic in their ways that they end up as another boring 'we cannot be bothered band', Chasing The Rise are none of these. The Lithuanian Melodic Metalcore outfit emerge out of the sewers of Vilnius with guns blazing and a sound that is more brutal than your last hangover. Dropping their debut EP 'The Dawn' this year, this could be the sound that finally gives the Lithuanian Metal scene international attention. Menacing vocals guide the apocalyptic riffs through the technically melodic matrix that becomes built up by the complexity of the drumming, guitar playing and vocals all put together. Make no mistake, 'The Dawn' is the sound of the underground and Chasing The Rise are flying the flag for Lithuania. The onslaught has just begun.... Download This: "In Front of Everything" For Fans of: Tides of Virtue, Bullet For My Valentine, As I Lay Dying [8] RHYS STEVENSON MORN GURUTH 'Weltekel' TALHEIM It's always been a common thing amongst the German underground metal scene, that Black Metal bands roam so freely and yet so secret that they are barely detectable. One such example is Morn Guruth, a Depressive Black Metal duo hailing from Bavaria. Their debut album 'Weltekel' delivers such a bleak and raw atmosphere that would you need to be very sober to get the feeling for it. Sad to say the drums are not particularly impressive and need more work on, especially in speed to get that sincere feeling that the guitars seem to deliver well, as for the vocals, well, yeah. Total redevelopment is needed because whilst they are there, they are far from understandable and at times are seeming to be a little false or leaning towards random screaming, which compared to other DBM bands is hardly there. So whilst 'Weltekel' is a decent release and somewhat scores points in each area, it lacks that final touch. Download This: "Destrudo" [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON MIDNIGHT MESSIAH 'The Root Of All Evil' It's always grand to see modern day bands playing the classic sounds of hard rock and heavy metal in such epic glory, whilst adapting it to their own taste. This is how exactly London quintet Midnight Messiah have gone about things, it is highly detectable on their debut album 'The Root Of All Evil' which sheds a brilliant sound in all of the departments. Clean and powerful vocals lead the front-line of this modernised version of Iron Maiden, whilst the guitars and drums deliver that all important blow that leaves the album in good stead as being a must own release for all those who prefer the old style of rock and metal. Make no mistake about it, 'The Root Of All Evil' is an album that will please many fans alike and is sure to give this band some well-deserved attention. Download This: "The Evil One" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Van Halen, AC/DC The album is available online from the label website: www.coldtown.com priced at £7 GBP. [8] RHYS STEVENSON VORTECH 'Devoid Of Life' Modern Metal seems to have become a phenomenon in the metal music industry, bolting together the fluidity experienced in the electronic music crux with the brutality and manifestation of metal music. The latest band to embrace this cosmic wave of mass destruction is Finnish trio Vortech who layer Industrial influences with Death Metal to give a sound some would associate with bands like Fear Factory, this is best heard on their 2012 release 'Devoid Of Life' whereby the vocals and double bass drum set the speed and the riffs shred high voltage as if it was out of fashion. Don't instantly think it's ground breaking, it's far from that, but more closer to actually giving this band a major boost in the Euro Metal scene. Prepare for the techno-pit, a new form of moshing. Download This: "Grains of Reality" For Fans of: Fear Factory, Noein, The Amenta, Breach The Void [8] RHYS STEVENSON DOBLE ESFERA 'Mi Universo' Dropping their debut album last year is Spanish four-piece Doble Esfera (Double Sphere in English), their release 'Mi Universo' (My Universe in English) is another classic hard rock / heavy metal sound but naturally coming with the Spanish language. So do expect to hear a lot of Iberian influences coming in and out each song, amongst the tricky and magical riffs that serve up nicely whilst the drums provide the all important solid backdrop and the vocals weaving magic like thread through water. Sure it's nothing really special, but it certainly glimmers with charm and eccentricity, 'Mi Universo' will appeal to many fans of the classic sounds as well as those looking to learn Spanish. Download This: "Perdido En El Tiempo" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Zarpa [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON AWRIZIS 'Final Hybridation' Awrizis are a hard band to nail down in one genre, so consider their debut album 'Final Hybridation' a slapping of Groove Metal mixed with a lashing of Deathcore influences and a dollop of aggression. Fueled by an endless supply of adrenalin and incredible technical skill, the Czech quartet's album deals damage en masse, except the only problem is the chunkiness of the bass, it needs a cleaner presence as you can hear the twanging too easily. But for those who want to hear music from the furthest limits then Awrizis is for you, make no mistake about it given the said improvement being completed in the future we could see a new international band arising from the depths of the Czech abyss and delivering a punch into the faces of the posers of Europe. Download This: "We Are Gifts Of Hell" For Fans of: In Flames, Suicide Silence, Machine Head [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON INFECTED RAIN 'Asylum' On the international metal scene, Moldova is down in the pits with only a handful of metal bands breaking out of Moldova and only a few of those gaining attention, well the tide is going to turn with Infected Rain. Simply put this female-fronted quintet implore a new twist to the whole Nu Metal sound, via the use of angelic and gritty female vocals (think Within Temptation for the angelic vocals) as the main weapon, a plethora of menacing riffs and powerful drumming sequences, they are poised to smash the European scene with a shattering explosion, well when you listen to their 2011 release 'Asylum' you will be warped into a musical world previously experienced. Thunderous drums and crunchy riffs boost the vocals like a musical atomic bomb, it is only a moment of time before Infected Rain joins the leagues of Exilia, Disturbed and other fellow Nu Metal compatriots, Infected Rain are flying the flag for the Moldovan Metal scene. Download This: "My Morphine" For Fans of: Exilia, Disturbed, Within Temptation, Static-X [9] RHYS STEVENSON FROSTLAND DARKNESS 'Ad Moriendum Dei Gratia' INVERSE Returning valiantly to deliver the second album is Finnish musician Mantus Nord and his project Frostland Darkness. Hailing from Lapland, this Black Metal one-man project simmers the very foundation of said music genre and injects some bleak and bitter atmosphere into it. Finnish Black metal has always been a bit of a hit and miss, well it's always spewed and spat out against Norwegian Black Metal, but when you get musical escapades like Frostland Darkness producing eclectic music in such a way that it makes established Black Metal bands sound like a screamo version of the Backstreet Boys. If your into the raw sounds of true Black Metal and after that bitter feeling that corrupts your senses, then 'Ad Moriendum Dei Gratia' is an album for you. Frostland Darkness may be a not well known project, but it packs a sensational sound you cannot find elsewhere, no wonder Inverse Records signed them! Download This: "Tuhon Kirkkaudessa" For Fans of: Horna, Darkthrone, Mayhem [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON BEER BEAR 'Beyond The Invisible Line' (За Незримой Чертой) SOUND AGE PRODS. The master of all Russian beer breweries has returned with a barrel of folkloric tales, hops and fresh mountain air, I am of course referring to Folk Metal maestros Beer Bear and their 2012 album 'Beyond The Invisible Line' (За Незримой Чертой), the latest installment in their musical arsenal sees the band carry on the delinquent sounds established on their debut album and is guaranteed to please many people alike. Singing exclusively in their native language, Beer Bear have done it again, proved themselves to be worthy of being a nationally known Folk Metal band. As for their second outing, 'Beyond The Invisible Line' (За Незримой Чертой) is a pleasant enough album, just be wary that it is quick at changing speed and is hard to keep up to. Beer Bear are another one of Russia's gems that deserve much more attention than they are getting, Download This: "Folk-n-Roll" For Fans of: Korpiklaani, Arkona, Woodscream [8] RHYS STEVENSON SILENT KNIGHT
'Masterplan' Of course metal is meant to be eccentric, complex and downright dirty, it's just that Silent Knight nail two of those things, the third is nowhere to be found. A little hint, the guitars and drumming patterns on their debut album is complex, the vocals are downright dirty and the musical composition is eccentric and so what is missing? The whole package. Sure they have the elements clear on this album but it lacks connectivity and at times the solo's are far too flash, a little toning down in that department would work; an excellent solo resides on the song 'Masterplan' but not the first song 'The Curse Of The Black Rose', ok there may be some irony in this but that's metal. Whether you like it or not, 'Masterplan' is a classic power metal album, the old style of classic power metal that is, so don't expect any keyboard elements or anything special. Download This: "Prophets Of War" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Blind Guardian. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON WINTER HAZE 'Silent Deception' UK DIVISION Last year Italian Symphonic Power Metallers Winter Haze unleashed their first ever EP 'Silent Deception' as the sucessor to their debut album 'The Storm Within', how apt is it then this year they have been going for 10 years. 'Silent Deception' carries on that much beloved sound of theirs, the majestic layering of female power metal vocals on electronic symphonic elements and adding pinches of melodies along the line, this is what Winter Haze is all about, creating a musical sound that defines their own thoughts and they have done it once again. 'Silent Deception' is an EP that should garner them more attention across the European continent, if you love angelic vocals, epic symphonies, powerful drums and guitars, then 'Silent Deception' by Winter Haze is for you. Download This: "Cross The Sea" For Fans of: Within Temptation, Epica, Nightwish [8] RHYS STEVENSON ARISE 'Don't Worry Be Happy!' + Live DVD' Japan is not usually known for Thrash Metal and so when quartet Arise make their long awaited debut the response is astounding, 'Don't Worry Be Happy!' features a plethora of tracks that explicitly demonstrates the burly ferociousness of the Japanese Thrash Metal scene. 'Don't Worry Be Happy!' delivers the classic style Thrash Metal, fast and heavily brutal and something that Slayer fans will be pissing themselves over for the foreseeable future. However for Arise they are an interesting bunch, this is a unique style of Thrash that plucks in Hardcore influences and yet does not fully reach either side, so you could call it crossover Thrash, whatever you call it the fact remains that Arise are an absolute gem. Download This: "Bitch's Trap" For Fans of: Slayer, Nuclear Assault, Agnostic Front As for the DVD, it features live footage of the band's two songs 'Life Domination' and 'No More Pain', it also features various shots and photos of the Japanese lands, the countryside, downtown Tokyo and bizarrely a rollercoaster and various shots of a car race going on a windy road through the mountains. With special effects like the photos and videos changing color intermittently, it is the perfect accompaniment to the album 'Don't Worry Be Happy!'. [8] + [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON F**KHAMMER 'Hammered To F**k' GRINDSCENE Yeah well wait for the vocalist to reach the recording studio and then the band can begin the real recording, let's face it F**khammer (asterisks are there for obvious reasons) aren't exactly anything special nor are they really going to go far, come on their style of Sludgey Crust / Death Metal is as poor as Justin Bieber belittling a tog. Their demo 'Hammered To F**k' may well have music on it, but it is no way anything good, if the lads stopped drowning themselves in the pub and actually thought about this, they would nail it. The guitars and drums are perhaps the only best thing about this release. [3.5] RHYS STEVENSON CITADEL BESIEGED 'Creation / Damnation' Last year saw the second album by Indiana's Citadel Besieged being released, 'Creation / Damnation' carries on more of the classic heavy metal the band laid out on their debut album, this time some of the songs have a much slower presence, such an example is the song 'Between The Shadows And The Dawn' where the fast pacy rhythms of a general heavy metal song become slowed down and thus adding a darker and sadder atmosphere to the affray. 'Creation / Damnation' is one of those releases that will appeal to any heavy metal fan, whether you prefer the fast pacey speed of Iron Maiden or the doom-like depressive sounds of Black Sabbath, Citadel Besieged's 'Creation / Damnation' had something for everyone. Download This: 'Between The Shadows And The Dawn' For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath [8] RHYS STEVENSON WINTERCOLD 'Mors Solum Inceptum Est' NIHIL INTERIT The latest album by one-man Gothic / Doom Metal project Wintercold has finally dropped, 'Mors Solum Inceptum Est' is the product of mastermind musician Satanic Tony (who also owns Salute Records), the Swedish musician has summoned once again the best of his musical abilities to unleash a blackened torrent of depression and Gothic atmospheric music. Sure 'Mors Solum Inceptum Est' is as raw as previous releases, but that adds to the whole doom effect and as the album progresses, listeners will fall further and further into the unknown as the album is intended to do. 'Mors Solum Inceptum Est' is certainly an acquired taste and is not for anyone who wants clean production, not for the faint of heart either. Download This: "The Dragon's Breath" For Fans of: Black Sabbath, Tiamat, Celtic Frost [8] RHYS STEVENSON F.O.B. 'Reap What You Sow' METALGATE There is a storm brewing over the Czech Republic and it isn't pretty either, perhaps the floods in Central Europe were down to the sheer magnitude F.O.B. exerts with their epic mix of Death / Thrash Metal and an equated balance of harsh and soft melodic vocals. In fact their 2013 album 'Reap What You Sow' should earn them international attention and possibly GMA's Czech album of the year. This is how Death / Thrash Metal should sound, technically trippy drums, machete-sharp riffs and punch-in-your-face vocals that will make you spew blood until you choke on your own bloody spit. 'Reap What You Sow' is by far one of the best albums to emerge out of the Czech Extreme Metal scene and with this effort now in the open, F.O.B. deserve nothing more than to be asked to play major European Metal festivals, let the apocalypse commence. Download This: "Missed Violence" For Fans of: HateSphere, Scarred In Beauty, Legion of The Damned [10] RHYS STEVENSON NADIR 'Exitus' Let's be honest Hungary is not a country you would associate with Deathcore, Death Metal yes, but Deathcore? Ah who cares, Nadir are a ten-legged machine of whom unleashed torrential hell with their fifth full length 'Exitus' released last year. Menacing riffs grapple the intense vocals that lead this album forward to mass apocalyptic proportions whilst the drumming serves as a warning sign to those weak hearted people that 'Exitus' is only for those that can withstand an atomic explosion of pure Hungarian Death Metal / Deathcore. For a band that has nearly been around 10 years, it's about time they exploded on the international scene and rock the apple cart of over-produced American Deathcore. Nadir are flying the flag for the Hungarian Metal scene. Download This: "Plunderers Of The Earth" For Fans of: Job For A Cowboy, Bring Me The Horizon, Unleashed, [9] RHYS STEVENSON WRATH OF FENRIR 'Wrath Of Fenrir' On the battlefields of the land down under, a tribal group paved the way for the darkness and folk bards to make their mark, that group is Wrath of Fenrir. Hailing from Western Australia, the quartet battle their way onto the scene with their war-torn variation of the already popular Black / Folk Metal. Their self-titled 2012 EP delivers what is expected of such a band, bouncy and flamboyant music and vocals during the folk sections, shifting into the bitterly cold shrieking Black Metal vocals, almost as if this band is bipolar (it happens). The great thing about this release is that one listen and you're hooked, sure it does not reach the same level as the Eastern European lot, heck it's not even in the same ball park, but it serves well as a piece of Australian Extreme Metal. Download This: "Wolfshead" For Fans of: Ancient Rites, The Furor, Winterfylleth, Arkona [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON MOSFET 'Deathlike Trash 'N' Roll' REFUSED At first listener's will be confounded to what music style Mosfet is aiming for... and by the end of the listening session they still will be confounded. After all the band's second album 'Deathlike Trash 'N' Roll' is hardly convincing enough to even reckoned as a serious metal album, all-in-jest. The truth is, the Austrian's second album seriously shifts music style too often and too quick. With that in mind, they aim for a mixture of Death / Thrash Metal with Rock 'N' Roll, unfortunately it seems they went the wrong way about it. I wouldn't say avoid it at all costs, just be wary it is a release that seems more rushed than someone running for the bus, if they got their organization right it would sound better, much better. Download This: "A Rowdy's Warfare" For Fans of: F**k knows? [5] RHYS STEVENSON TORANAGA
'Righteous Retribution' 25 years. One word: impressive. Toranga have been pillaging the countryside for the past quarter century and as they prepare to unleash their latest release 'Righteous Retribution' it is evident why. Producing the distinctive classic hard rock / heavy metal matrix that was laid out by the gods themselves, Toranaga summon up a sound that makes them stand out from the rest of the classic metal armada. However much has changed and as two new guitarists join the ranks, what could Toranaga conjure up next? Well given their upcoming album 'Righteous Retribution' carries on their chosen sound with a sharper focus and more aggressive attitude, they may as well become a band that sadly never made it, had they not signed to Chrysalis they may well be gods now, wait they are gods in their own right and so here is to another decade or so to Toranaga! For Fans of: Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica 'Righteous Retribution' is out 2nd September 2013 [8] RHYS STEVENSON HELL: ON 'Age Of Oblivion' METAL SCRAP Considered as perhaps the best ever release Ukrainian Death / Thrash merchants Hell: On has ever done, 'Age Of Oblivion' blasts a hole in the wall through the trickery exerted on the guitars and the epic rate of knots on the drums, whilst the vocals themselves add that final blow. Ukraine may be the land that everyone knows because of Chernobyl, but there is much much more to this land and indeed Hell: On at first sight. 'Age Of Oblivion' is a beautiful soundtrack that features trippy double bass drumming on each song that acts as a foundation for the guitars to follow suit and as the vocals hit highs and low's the sign is clear, the 'Age Of Oblivion' has dawned and Ukrainian Metal has a new face. Download This: "Punk Guys" For fans of: Impious, Vader, Dew-Scented [8] RHYS STEVENSON NECNON MORTUSS 'Likvidace' Whilst conventionally not the greatest at clocking on to how Black / Death Metal is meant to be played, Czech mob Necnon Mortuss simply don't give a flying f**k about how to play it. Take for example their second album 'Likvidace' and then take the inescapable reality that such bands play it differently and realize that this band are exactly that style of band. Even if they sing in their native tongue, it just adds a unique dimension to the release. If you're after fast and snappy riffs, grueling vocals and sharp drumming, look no further than Necnon Mortuss and 'Likvidace' as they battle their way forward out of their home nation with a sound that will keep Central Europe shaking. Download This: "Genetic Code NM07" For Fans of: Behemoth, Marduk, Dissenter [8] RHYS STEVENSON SOLARIS (2006-2011) 'The Truth Can Only Be Learned by Marching Forward' P3LICAN Well the truth is if you have got the time to sit and wait for the music to really kick in, then you have patience, if not then this release is not for you. 'The Truth Can Only Be Learned by Marching Forward' was the second and last album by Latvia's Solaris, a Sludge Drone / Doom Metal entity that was short lived and could have been a good influence in the metal scene. Delivering a high range of melodramatic and deeply depressing sounds, this release peruses the darkened ambiance and uses it to lay the down the path for the rest of the album to take. Sure it takes a while to kick off, but for those who can wait the returns are worth it. Solaris evidently were not short of ideas and were surely to make waves outside of their native homeland, some could question the irony of their album title 'The Truth Can Only Be Learned by Marching Forward' to what happened with the band. Download This: "Distant Crusades / From Bloodwaves to Frost" For Fans of: sun o))), Jesu and Melvins [7] RHYS STEVENSON DEVASTRACKTOR 'Beer Force One' There are three things you will need in Heavy Metal: tits, metal music and beer. However Devastracktor's specialty is beer as highlighted on their premier EP 'Beer Force One', a four track belter that encompasses Finnish Thrash Metal to it's core essence, the unrelenting shredding of riffs amongst furious drumming and grizzly vocals. As for each track, they offer that distinct classic sound experienced by bands like Holy Moses and Metallica / Slayer, for a band that has only been going four years, they are sure primed to take Europe by storm and enlighten the Nordic lands with streaks of white and blue and a sense of spine-snapping Thrash that will get everyone smashing skulls together like it's a piss up party, bottoms up. Download This: "Diesel Cobra" For Fans of: Holy Moses, Slayer, Metallica, Evile [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON SACRAMENT OV IMPURITY 'Anguishing In Obscurity' If you're after a generic Black Metal band that gauges out high shrieking vocals, a bitterly cold atmosphere and insane drumming, turn your head away from the Norwegian swamps and look at American duo Sacrament Ov Impurity... yeah right. Sure the duo's second attempt 'Anguishing In Obscurity' is covered lavishly in a coating of evil and occult music, but in all honesty it is so commonly produced that it begs the question are they any different? Well, yes and no. The first track 'God Ov This World' holds itself as a unique work of art yet ironically it highlights so many comparisons with other duo BM acts its unreal. On the other hand if you're musical fetish is raw underground and slaughtering musical abilities, then 'Anguishing In Obscurity' is an album for you, just don't count on the hot dogs getting any more satanic or at least hotter than this album. Download This: 'Under The Wretched Tomb' [7] RHYS STEVENSON CITADEL BESIEGED 'The Winter Of Evermore' It would seem that the American style of the classic strain of Heavy Metal is so contagious that is mutates into a myriad of different slanted styles, this could be said about 'The Winter Of Evermore', the 2011 debut album by duo Citadel Besieged as it caresses Iron Maiden-esque style vocals like no other underground American Metal band does, sure the riffs at times seem a little repetitious and the drums at times appear to be non-existent, but the reality is that this is a well crafted piece of music, in fact you might as well consider it a hidden gem, one that glimmers with ugly beauty and silent loudness, on the other hand those solo's do seem to go a little overboard. However you spin it 'The Winter Of Evermore' is an album in it's own league. Download This: "Prelude To Anarchy" [7] RHYS STEVENSON SCAPHISM 'Festering Human Remains' Imagine ordering a plate load of ribs smoked in the hottest BBQ sauce ever and then imagine gorging on it until you are violently sick, that is simply what 'Festering Human Remains' by Boston's Scaphism sounds like. A futile splattering of Brutal Death Metal that circulates the musical style laid out by bands like Suffocation, Psycroptic and Carcass; the sort of Death Metal that punches you in the face until you look like death (how aptly ironic in album title context). Scaphism may as well be the next exciting troupe to emerge from the American underground abyss and as 'Festering Human Remains' rightfully proves, they are a force to be reckoned with. The zombie apocalypse is now a reality, you better be scared... Download This: "Butchered And Devoured" [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON AMACHINE 'Abrasive Absurd' When you consider the New Zealand on a global scale, most metal outlets only think of Dawn Of Azazel and Ulcerate, but wallowing in the underground growths of this diverse nation is Amachine, a pure slamming Death Metal band with more haka haka than the All Blacks, more guts than their Australian adversaries and more brutality than a volcanic eruption, this is evidently proven on their phenomenal debut EP 'Abrasive Absurd', not only does it offer four tracks of totally unique sounds, but a whole new style of Death Metal. Amachine call it 'Aotearoa Metal', this reflects the Maori influences incorporated in the band by one Johnny Raimona, Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand. With all this in mind, the honest reality is that Amachine are a thousand leagues above any Death Metal band yet they are not well known, so for some truly cultural metal listen to Amachine. Download This: "Killer Behind The Shadows vs. The Great Beast" For Fans of: Suffocation, Gojira, Ulcerate [8] RHYS STEVENSON NONSERVIAM 'Ordinance Of Reason' Could this be the moment Malaysia explodes onto the international scene with a band that will totally represent them? It would seem that way, Melodic Death Metal fanatics Nonserviam deal justice to their nations undiscovered metal scene with their sensational debut EP 'Ordinance Of Reason', gut-rotten vocals surge through the chaotic composition of slaying riffs and tantalizing drumming to mold a sound that is guaranteed to get record labels perking ears up, 'Ordinance Of Reason' spews out a fluid torrent of gritty Death Metal that would make any fan wet their pants whilst the melodies exerted would make Alexi Laiho poop his. All eyes in years to come will turn to the Nonserviam storm as it brews and gathers strength and excels themselves to be the rightful flag flyers of the Malaysian Metal scene. Download This: "Fragments" For Fans of: Children of Bodom, Dark Tranquility, Insomnium [9] RHYS STEVENSON IMMENSION
'Immension' Ok so a few years ago Immension released their self titled debut EP, this will be soon followed up this year by their second EP 'The Enemy Within' so it will be interesting to see how the band changes or if they will continue the same sound found throughout this release. 'Immension' is a delicate balance of classic Heavy Metal with some rather melodic and mellow songs that keep the calmness and extremity worlds apart. Yet what Immension cleverly do is throw in a whole host of other elements such as harsh vocals, progressive elements (especially on the guitars) and fast drumming, all in all whether you like them or not, this band could be the next big thing. Download This: "In Vain" For Fans of: Bullet For My Valentine, Avenged Sevenfold, Evile [8] RHYS STEVENSON SLEEPERS' GUILT 'Sleepers' Guilt' Luxembourg is not really considered when it comes to metal music and so it falls down to bands like Sleepers' Guilt to represent the nation internationally. The Melodic / Progressive Groove Metal outfit unleashed their debut EP last year and given the performance on this release, they should garner some attention in times ahead. The self-titled EP features fast and slow elements that intertwine to develop an atmosphere that can be compared to Melodic Metal and also Doom Metal, that sort of slow, dark and bleak feel to the music experienced when listening to bands like My Dying Bride. It is early days but the consensus behind the release would suggest the band has much more to offer and are sure to get a label deal in the near future. Download This: "Stay" [8] RHYS STEVENSON IMMER 'Seperation' This is exactly what the doctor ordered, slamming Death Metal in the form of a blast from the east, namely the Czech band Immer with their third album released this year. 'Seperation' in fact mixes a rather odd mix, by using the brutality and melodies of Death Metal with the rock 'n' roll prefecture, the result is a bizarre sound and one that will raise a few eyebrows, not only that but the overall ideology behind the lyrics is confounding too as they seem to change nineteen-to-the-dozen. Make it of what you will, but know the major point behind this unique release is that Immer are on the path to glory. Download This: "Old Man Blues" [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON AS GOD CREATED 'Creation's Crowning Glory' Thrashcore is relatively a new concept, however it is simply an amalgamation of Thrash Metal and Metalcore. Easier said than displayed, well not quite, in fact when Austrian quintet As God Created dropped their latest effort 'Creation's Crowning Glory', it was a revelation to hear something unique from the plethora of Metalcore crossover combinations. The sensational fury behind the percussion sequences drives this album forward like a military army trooping the colors in front of their leader, that as well as accompanying the ten tonne riffs that crush anything that stands within the Teutonic audio earthquake that comes from listening to this megalithic release. Curiosity for some, but the salient point behind this lot is that they deliver fast, technical and grizzly metal that makes your mother in law wet herself. Download This: "Soul On Fire" [8] RHYS STEVENSON INFINITUS MORTUS 'The Conspiracy Of Love' RAVENHEART MUSIC As the second album by Infinitus Mortus dropped, the sense that this was a huge advancement in American Symphonic Gothic Metal was ultimately realized. Their unbelievably sensational release 'The Conspiracy Of Love' features emotional duets between Caitlin Meehan and Vincent James that can be related to the sort found in legendary stories such as 'The Phantom of the Opera' - it's that two-tone vocal delivery that sets the tone for the album, whilst the keyboard develops an ambient atmosphere that alongside the drums and guitars fuel the vocals with enough ammunition to bring down the statue of liberty. 'The Conspiracy Of Love' is an album that will captivate many fans of female fronted vocals and powerful Gothic Metal alike. Download This: Plain Hearts For fans of: Nightwish, Therion, Within Temptation. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON DIARY OF DESTRUCTION 'Dark Road To Recovery' SEASON OF MIST Unleashing their debut album 'Dark Road To Recovery' onto the masses is French five-piece Diary Of Destruction, a territorial armada that is certain to wipe the smirk of all other Melodic Death / Metalcore ensembles in the European metal scene. Delivering a face-punching wall of sound that consists of extreme female vocals that are sweet as French champagne and yet carry a futile range of decibels that is simply stunning, whilst the concreted over music provides a solid wall of fire that is sure to explode this band to greater heights, if 'Dark Road To Recovery' is the key to unlocking the door for the band to become more widely known, then Diary of Destruction are certainly going to put a few American bands in their place and position themselves as the leader of French Melodic Death / Metalcore. Download This: "That's It!" [10] RHYS STEVENSON BURN STILL 'Rise' Estonia of late has seemingly had an upsurge of metal bands that could collectively dwarf some of the other emerging metal scenes globally. That's easy to say but when you get bands like Burn Still of whose Melodic Death Metal / Metalcore approach is by far the signature tune that this band has craved for. This sound radiates across their latest effort 'Rise', the chunky and crunchy riffs that spellbind the entire release is just merely the start of it, what follows on cue is ferocious vocals that would make any hardcore kid go completely sissy and the drums are confirmed to give anyone neck pains. 'Rise' is an album that is certified for mass headbanging and as the band battle their way through the overly saturated metalcore market, Burn Still are set to 'Rise' up and fly the flag for Estonia. Download This "Closed Doors" [9] RHYS STEVENSON CHROMATIC POINT 'Zlaten Presek' Macedonian Fusion / Progressive Metal outfit Chromatic Point have done justice by dropping their debut album last year, 'Zlaten Presek' is a instrumental release and so for those who cannot cope without lyrics this is not for you. Taking similar sounds experienced by bands like Greece's Dol Ammad and others in the Sci-Fi or epic metal categories, this four-piece immerse the listener in a torrential flooding of erratic riffs, funky percussion and some rather sharp, twisty and unexpected turns. Overall this is a decent enough instrumental release and if lyrics was added to the songs, it could be a whole level greater. Download This: "Proton" [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON FATHOMS 'Transitions' Last year Brighton was hit by a mammoth tidal wave that was the direct cause of the Teutonic release by Metallic Hardcore merchants Fathoms, 'Transitions'. From start to finish, the endless brutal technicalities that lie within the solid infrastructure of each song gives the listener nowhere to hide. Fathoms, the very definition of tantalizing face-punching music delivers their finest musical architecture to date via a myriad of cascading riffs, assailant-style drumming and acidic vocals that corrode your senses until you become nothing but atomic waste. If you're after a general Metallic Hardcore band, look elsewhere for Fathoms are set to rip the UK apart alongside other rising bands in what could be called a wave of musical 'Transitions'. Download This: "Lessons" [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON AMBERIAN DAWN 'Re-Evolution' KHY SUOMEN MUSIIKKI OY Out with the old and in with the new, long-standing vocalist Heidi Parviainen makes way for the unknown Päivi Virkkunen (Capri, whilst the rest of the band maintain their technically crafted symphonic speed metal algorithm, the shift in vocals are shocking, in fact the scale down is so dramatic it will take time for fans to get accustom to the new vocals. However rest assured Päivi throws in a newer dimension to the Amberian Dawn infrastructure as found on their upcoming compilation 'Re-Evolution' which features old songs with the new vocals on top. What also comes is a slight shift in musical direction, some songs are leaning towards Power Metal with the new vocals, I guess they more or less done another Nightwish and pulling it off. Fans of Sonata Arctica, Yngwie Malmsteen and oddly enough ABBA might warm to this new sound. (p.s. slightly joking about ABBA). 'Re-Evolution' is out 14th June (Finland) and 17th June (Worldwide) via KHY Suomen Musiikki Oy [8] RHYS STEVENSON ESHTADUR
'Dominated By Dummies' + 'Stay Away From Evil & Get Close To Me' South America is host to a whole plethora of Black Metal ensembles, as if it was the second most followed cult in the region behind football. No surprise then in 2011 the debut album by Colombia's Eshtadur dropped with such furor, it correlates to the early forms of Cradle of Filth and the early forms of melodic black metal. Hellish shrieks dominate this album that is suppressed by an extraordinary rate of blast-beats that encase the entire sound in an unrelenting pummelling sound. 'Dominated By Dummies' in fact sets the path in stone for the band to follow, it captures the very essential expectations of an experimental / melodic black metal album and as a result proves its worth as a valuable listen by any Black Metal fans view. Ten tracks of what could prove to be Colombia's best Black metal production in the entire metal music history in this nation. The great thing about this album is that it keeps you on your toes, there is an endless battering of sensational extreme metal. The upcoming album 'Stay Away From Evil & Get Close To Me' is even better, still carrying on that essential furious black metal sound embedded in the band's core infrastructure, the band scourge for even greater experimentation sounds that sets the tone for their future - emphatic. 'Stay Away From Evil & Get Close To Me' takes on board a whole myriad of influences including metalcore breakdowns - leaning towards Abigail Williams and Bleeding Through here and as this sound coalesces around the unsettled atmosphere, it is sure to cause an explosion of violent thunderstorms across the globe. The voice of Colombia has spoken, Eshtadur have proven themselves worthy of being flag bearers for their nation, 'Stay Away From Evil & Get Close To Me' is poised to be awarded Colombian Metal album of the year. Download This: "Romances In Black" 'Stay Away From Evil & Get Close To Me' is out 1st June 2013 via Gate of Horror Productions [8] + [9] RHYS STEVENSON |
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