 EVIL REBORN 'Throne Of Insanity' SATANATH Stamping their authority hard in their own backyard, Venezuela's Death Metal newbies Evil Reborn have issued a statement of intent with the release of their debut album 'Throne Of Insanity'. Designed to keep you dancing on your toes like a metalhead doing ballet, this filthy-rotten slab of musical creativity will certainly keep you hooked from start to finish. By throwing modern Death Metal vocals, bone-crunching riffs, trailblazing drums and ballsy bass elements into the mixing pot, what comes out of this magical music transformation is a menacing, unrelenting and uncompromising cocktail that will certainly knock you out in one fatal punch. Forget those who think Death Metal is all about double bass drums and growling, Evil Reborn have devised a new rulebook... their own rulebook, so bloody study it! There are no excuses. Download This: "Possessed Angels" - Click to listen For Fans of: Aborted, Prostitute Disfigurement, Abhorrent Decimation 'Throne Of Insanity' is out now via Satanath Records [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  WHISPERED 'Metsutan - Songs Of The Void' REDHOUSE FMP / INVERSE Funny isn't it how Babymetal emerge on the scene and most metalheads freak out, Whispered gain attention outside of Finland and no one bats an eyelid. The self-proclaimed purveyors of 'Samurai Metal' carve out their third offering with such precise ninja-skill, the shamanic powers the members herewith possess must ultimately be accounted for as influencers on this dramatic release. By mixing together Power Metal harmonics with epic melodic death metal, and sprinkling it with Japanese music sounds, Whispered have arguably developed their own sound that could well become inspirational for bands further down the line. 'Metsutan - Songs Of The Void' is an anthemic album that will certainly go down in metal history as one of those albums that defied logic, defined a music genre created from the love of anime and manga and also brought some folk metal influences into the affray. Simply magical. Download This: "Strike!" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Children of Bodom, Grailknights, Wintersun 'Metsutan - Songs Of The Void' is now out via Redhouse FMP / Inverse Records [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  ENTHEAN 'Priests Of Annihilation' INDEPENDENT Whenever a band decides to create a new style or attempt to place a new derivative on an existing genre it can go one of two ways. Either it's successful and a new movement is born, or it can fall gracefully and be lost in metal history. So when you take South Carolina's Enthean into account, they sit precisely (and in a contradictory sense) between the two, sure mixing Technical Metal with Black Metal and dabbing it with Death Metal and Symphonic Metal influences might sound epic, but when actually hearing it, damn that sound is the nuts. 'Priests Of Annihilation' may well be this band's debut album, but in order for them to garner any greater attention they must harness this sound and refine it a bit. At times there seems there is too much going on, but overall it's a solid effort that should spark off a movement for the newfound Technical Black Metal caricature. Download This: "Dysthanasia" - click to listen For Fans of: Abigail Williams, Gorguts, Dimmu Borgir [7] RHYS STEVENSON  OLD CORPSE ROAD 'Of Campfires & Evening Mists' CACOPHONOUS REC. British Black Metal is in a newfound renaissance period with it establishing it's own sound and outlook, leading this epic shift are a handful of bands and one of them, Old Corpse Road, are preserving traditional British folklore without touching the topic of nationalism. Some might confuse folkloric metal bands with the nationalist movement, but not OCR who like Winterfylleth use a far more historical approach. OCR's second album 'Of Campfires & Evening Mists' is a tale that even the most religious druids and bards would adorn to, let alone the Old Corpse Road taking it's name from the actual area where corpses were taken for burial, grim huh? 'Of Campfires & Evening Mists' is a treasure to behold and is an album that will appeal to all fans of Extreme Metal. Full of atmosphere, chilling elements and beautiful sounds, you will be blessed by enduring this album in it's entirety. Download This: "Herne Of Windsor Forest" For Fans of: Cnoc An Tursa, Winterfylleth, Fyrdsmann [8] RHYS STEVENSON  ELDERBLOOD 'Messiah' OSMOSE PRODS. If anyone has worked out why the Ukrainian Metal scene is so damn good at producing Extreme Metal, then please let us know because Elderblood may well have just snatched 'Ukrainian Metal release of the year' with their latest effort. 'Messiah' is the band's second album and it carries on their infectiously sexy blend of Symphonic Black Metal and bleak atmospherics in such a way, BDSM will become inferior to this constricting release. Prepare your ears for some serious puncturing as the blitzing of the drums, rampaging of the raucous riffs and vomiting of the venomous vocals smash your senses to pieces. 'Messiah' is a fantastic work of art to behold, one that will give the band their well earned international recognition as not only a band to watch but also Ukraine's answer to Dimmu Borgir. Download This: "Devil In The Flesh" For fans of: Khors, Dimmu Borgir, Shade Empire [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  DEAD LABEL 'Throne Of Bones' NUERRA Dead Label are a band you should not take lightly, in fact they're positioning themselves as one of the most exciting metal bands to emerge out of Ireland since Waylander and Cruachan made waves. Mixing together a sharp array of metal styles from Thrash Metal to Death Metal and Metalcore to Prog Metal, this enables the cauldron to brew a sound that most would describe as apocalyptic, and we'd agree with them. 'Throne Of Bones' is the trio's second offering and it does well to punch you f*cking hard in the face with very little remorse, in fact if you tried to resist it's magic you might as well defect to listening to teen pop as a source of comfort, because Dead Label as said are not a band that should be taken lightly, because their music is certainly on the heavy side. Download This: "Exhume The Venom" For Fans of: Machine Head, Threat Signal, Skreamer [8] RHYS STEVENSON  SOULS OF DIOTIMA 'The Sorceress Reveals - Atlantis' ROCKSHOTS Diotima was a female philosopher and just like her, the band Souls Of Diotima are full of elegance, grace and wisdom when it comes to making music. Their third album carries on their dramatically theatrical sound and instils a fast and romantic atmosphere, which becomes guided by the virtuosic nature of the guitarists as they lead the charge. Truth be told, the Italians have got the knack for creating epic dramas and as such when relayed through metal, emphatically rivals the likes of Therion and Apocalyptica for musical suspense. 'The Sorceress Reveals - Atlantis' may well be the band's third album, but it's sincere maturity might as well make the album the band's tenth because it's well refined, polished and enjoyable. In fact it's a great album to keep you awake by, because there is not one second which makes the album dull, it's full of goodness. Download This: "Tears Of Fury" For Fans of: Therion, Theatres Des Vampires, Fleshgod Apocalypse 'The Sorceress Reveals - Atlantis' is out 10th June via Rockshots Music [8] RHYS STEVENSON  OBSOLETENOVA 'Oracle Demo 2016' BRUTALREIGN PRODS. Here comes another band from China's ever-strengthening Extreme Metal scene, hailing from Guangdong Province is Obsoletenova, a three-piece Technical Brutal Death Metal ensemble whose mish-mash of flash riffs, pulverising drums and epic pig squeals coalesces together to deliver a sound that's heavy enough to leave your bones crushed to dust. This may well be a demo, but damn the 'Oracle Demo 2016' certainly carries a punch and then some, in fact I would be shocked if they aren't invited to play outside of China within a year from now because this material would make even the most sick bands like Nile and Suffocation weak at the knees. Having released their 2016 demo which sold out immediately, clearly Obsoletenova are on to something and have considerable attention, good enough to make them a band to watch this year. Download This: "Absolutely Solitary Monarchy Is Terminated Under The Slam!!" - Click to listen For Fans of: Suffocation, Nile, Fleshgod Apocalypse [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  CHERNODEATH
'Demo-lition Thrash' INDEPENDENT Chernodeath hail from Guatemala, yeah you can picture it now, second-hand instruments and low-fi studio's, but let's not forget that the passion is 101% real. Dropping their first demo, the three-piece Thrashers get it perfect on the guitars and drums, but the vocals need far more presence. Generally speaking however it's a pretty decent attempt for a band from a country whose crime rate is beyond astronomical. No wonder metal thrives in the underground here as a means of dealing with societal pressure, poor justice and high corruption levels. Chernodeath certainly have earned the right to carry the flag for the Guatemalan Metal scene. As for the demo, well we only hope they sort the vocal issue out but also carry on believing in metal music. Download This: "Cujo Terror" - Click to listen For Fans of: Raw Thrash Metal, Slayer [7] RHYS STEVENSON
0 Comments
 CHRONOLYTH 'Atrophy' INDEPENDENT / ROCKET DIST. Australian Metal is witnessing some sort of renaissance as it sheds its past deluge of Metalcore exports and swings to another position in the Extreme Metal scale. Hail the new beast from down under Chronolyth with their cranial-crushing second album 'Atrophy', by merging together the grit of Death Metal, danceable freedom of Groovy Metalcore and elegance of Melodic Metal, this five-piece assemble a sound of algorithmic proportions that is certain to leave listeners in a pile of their own crap. By challenging the conventional norms, Chronolyth have found their feng shui to unleash upon the world with. Big things are expected from this band of brothers, we could yet see them become the next hottest export from the other side of the world... Europe Chronolyth has you in their sights. Download This: "Revenants" For Fans of: DevilDriver, Lamb Of God, Killswitch Engage 'Atrophy' is out 29th April via an Independent Release / Rocket Distribution [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  LIGHTLESS MOOR 'Hymn For The Fallen' WORMHOLEDEATH Italy's Gothic / Doom Metal maestros Lightless Moor emerge out of the shadows with their second offering 'Hymn For The Fallen'. Continuing and improving their sound that they established on their debut album 'The Poem - Crying My Grief To A Feeble Dawn', this sextet clearly had vision in sight as this latest effort offers itself as the musical form to a dark poetic work, perhaps as sorrowful and touching as Shakespeare's Macbeth or Romeo & Juliet. Lurching over the hour mark, there is plenty on this album to keep listeners occupied with and unusually for a Doom-based album, none of the songs are extremely long. 'Hymn For The Fallen' is the latest example of the Italian Metal scene's love affair for Gothic and Doom Metal sounds, or let's call it 'Dark Metal'. Such beauty and dramatics have never entwined like this before. Download This: "Qualcosa Vive Attraverso" For Fans of: Draconian, Theatre Of Tragedy, Octavia Sperati 'Hymn For The Fallen' is out 9th June via Wormholedeath [8] RHYS STEVENSON  MIDNIGHT ETERNAL 'Midnight Eternal' INNER WOUND REC. This is the sort of music you would expect to hear at Disney World Florida, you know? The Fantasia of the metal world is here with New York harmonisers Midnight Eternal unleashing their infectiously delightful self-titled album. With the vocals and keyboards wallowing in the upper echelons of Power Metal and the guitars and drums providing the symphonic infrastructure for this insanely perfect debut album to glide on through. 'Midnight Eternal' comes complete with arousing dynamics, theatrically-electric atmospherics and a sound that Midnight Eternal can call their own. In fact, it might as well be said that Midnight Eternal are the United States' long-term answer to Finland's Symphonic / Power Metal powerhouse Nightwish, may this American quintet's rise to international recognition begin. Download This: "Repentance" For Fans of: Delain, Sonata Arctica, Nightwish 'Midnight Eternal' is out 29th April via Inner Wound Records [9] RHYS STEVENSON  DARKESTRAH 'Turan' OSMOSE PRODS. Considered to be the only currently active metal bands from Kyrgyzstan, Darkestrah have been residing in Germany as expatriates of late and although this means a cultural shift, it has not deterred them from unleashing albums with folk-laden Epic Black Metal as their adopted sound. 'Turan' is the quintet's latest offering and it comes brim-loaded with six tracks averaging out at eight minutes long, it does not get any less epic than that. Because the exoticness of the album cannot be ignored, it has a certain vibe to it that gives Darkestrah their own unique identity irrespective of cultural heritage. For those who prefer their Black Metal songs to be emphatic, valiant and above all adventurous, then 'Turan' is your next album purchase because seriously, not even the Black Metal greats could pull of an album as authentically outstanding as this one. Hails to the kings of the new wave of Kyrgyz Black Metal. Download This: "Erlik-Khan" For Fans of: Arbor Mortis, Arkona, Bal-Sagoth 'Turan' is out 29th April via Osmose Productions [8] RHYS STEVENSON  FORGED IN BLACK 'Fear Reflecting Fear' INDEPENDENT The boys from Southend (Sarfend to those natives of the coastal town in Essex) leave their bunker with another EP in their hands, this time 'Fear Reflecting Fear' is their latest offering and in short might as well be a cornerstone in the band's career. They never stopped chugging away this lot, in fact this EP pretty much picks up from where they left off since their last EP 'The Tide' blew away the British Metal scene. If this is what Forged In Black are going to sound like in the future, then this will surely result in them scoring a slot on the RJD stage at Bloodstock. Hell-bent on creating their own sound, which they've managed to do, satisfactory is never good enough with this lot and thus having pulled all of the stoppers out, have crafted an EP that will shake the very foundations of the Thrash Metal hall of fame with newfound vigour. Mixing Thrash Metal with elements of Speed Metal, Heavy Metal and a pinch of Power Metal in terms of Stoz's vocals is what Forged In Black does best, long may it continue. Download This: "Fear Reflecting Fear" For Fans of: Judas Priest, Helloween, Grand Magus 'Fear Reflecting Fear' is out 29th April via an Independent Release [8] RHYS STEVENSON  NEMESEA 'Uprise' NAPALM Nemesea are probably and arguably one of the most underrated Gothic Metal bands from the Dutch Metal scene, whilst their fellow countrymen Within Temptation, Delain and Epica run riot across planet metal, Nemesea are left picking up the pieces... not any more. With their latest album 'Uprise', they take the bold step and switch to an electronic-influenced sound which is already blessed with the majestic vocals of Manda Ophuis since day one. Whilst it might not appeal to some fans of Gothic Metal / Rock, it certainly will bring a new horde of fans to like the band. Nemesea are set on making a metal music revolution and boy with 'Uprise' as bloody infectious as it is, they've certainly gone the right way at setting up the blueprint for a new take on the already saturated Gothic Metal style. 'Uprise' and join Nemesea on their newfound quest for undiscovered music dynamics. Download This: "Time To Make It" For Fans of: Within Temptation, Amaranthe, Jesus On Extasy 'Uprise' is out 29th April via Napalm Records [8] RHYS STEVENSON  RAVENIA 'Beyond The Walls Of Death' INNER WOUND REC. Enter the emergence of 'Symphonic Film Score Metal', a combination of Symphonic Metal music at the very core, glazed over with elements found within film scores as dramatic as Williams' Star Wars overture or as adventurous as Two Steps From Hell. Arguably considered the successor to Apocalyptica in terms of realizing the erotic relationship between metal and classical music, Ravenia is a force to be reckoned with. Lead by the elegant Armi Päivinen and her fellow suitors of whom provide the sheer sensational dynamics as a dramatic backdrop, simply through the utilization of guitars, drums, violins, a viola, cello and a contrabass. With 'Beyond The Walls Of Death' being the debut album from the Finnish nine-piece, they could easily be snapped up to pen the score for the forthcoming 2017 film 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales'. Seriously if you're looking for something new within the Symphonic Metal style, you've found your band. Download This: "We All Died For Honor" For Fans of: Tarja-era Nightwish, Apocalyptica, Hans Zimmer 'Beyond The Walls Of Death' is out 29th April via Inner Wound Records [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  INNER BLAST 'Prophecy' NORDAVIND Ten years since their inception and four years since their debut EP, Portuguese Gothic Metallers Inner Blast finally stamp their authority on the ground with their debut album 'Prophecy'. Whilst what they're doing is not really new, it does however serve as a delightful listen, you know? It's the kind of album that sits in the middle of what's new and what's old, it's neither groundbreaking nor cliche. But it has everything covered, there are some slow ballad-style songs and then there's the bouncy, joyful songs that would almost certainly brighten your day. This may do well in the Iberian, Italian and French Metal scenes, possibly also the British, but unfortunately it lacks that snapping point that otherwise would give it greater prospects. 'Prophecy' might not be a blast, but it will have you hooked to a certain extent, that's for sure. Download This: "Darkest Hour" For Fans of: Khael, La-Ventura, Shear 'Prophecy' is out now via Nordavind Records [7] RHYS STEVENSON  DEVOLTED 'Broken Kings' INDEPENDENT Chugga-chugga goes the riffs on this insane beast-of-an-EP, 'Broken Kings' is the second EP by Dublin's Devolted and it is loaded with enough Heavy Thrashed-up Metal to make you choke on your own spit, or was that cum, or period juice? Whatever sickening description you can slap on this fine example of Irish Metal, the matter of the fact is that it will give you an orgasmic reaction so erotically disturbing, you would have put the red light district out of business. Thundering vocals come together hand-in-hand with rapid-fire riffs, dangerously violent drums and an atmosphere worthy of a pint of Guinness... or two. After indulging yourself in this release, you can easily imagine them becoming an instant hit across the Irish Sea in the UK, who doesn't love a bit of Thrash Metal right? 'Broken Kings' should belong in your collection for your journeys across the lands, it's gallant pace serving as the ideal soundtrack for said activity. Download This: "God Of Light" - Click to listen For Fans of: Savage Messiah, Gama Bomb, Evile [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  350TERIC
'Undertones' INDEPENDENT Благој Цилаков (Blagoj Cilakov) is the mastermind behind the Progressive / Djent project 350teric (Esoteric) and he has conjured up his sixth album in the project's 7-year history. 'Undertones' is the latest offering by this Macedonian virtuoso and despite it being completely instrumental, like his previous releases, the music itself talks in it's own form of lyric. With multiple music layers binding this sound together, it's no surprise that listeners would become completely entranced and attached to the wizardry displayed herewith. Majestic and mesmerizing in every aspect, this is perhaps the finest instrumental release the Balkans has ever produced across the entire music spectrum. 'Undertones' lasts a respectable 35 minutes, and so with the variation in tracks clearly evident, listeners will not be stuck for lack of interest as not only is Progressive and Djent Metal present, there are Metalcore elements here and there as well. Download This: "Autumn Limbus" - click to listen For Fans of: Progressive / Djent Metal, instrumental music, Metalcore-tinged metal [8] RHYS STEVENSON  BLACKDRAWN 'Blackdrawn' BD MUSIC Now you might well have thought that because of Greece's demoralizing and brutal economic downfall that the quality of metal would deplete as a result; not to mention quality of gear and services available, well, you would be mistaken. Enter Blackdrawn, the new kids on the block who come armed with their rather unforgiving blend of mystical keyboard elements, technical groove riffery, blazing drums and not to mention vocals so gritty they would embed in your soul for eternity. Eloquently expressed, the self-debut album by this Greek unit lashes together the aforementioned Groove / Tech combination with elements of Nordic Melodic Death Metal, conjuring up what could be accepted as part of the 'new wave of Modern Metal'. Already set to perform as support to Arch Enemy in November, Blackdrawn are the Greek Metal band you never saw coming. Simply magical. Download This: "What I Am" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Soilwork, In Flames, DevilDriver [9.5] RHYS STEVENSON  STORM 'Storm's A Brewin' ' TIN IDOL PRODS. Granted the USA has a gargantuan range of metal bands stretching across from the Atlantic to Pacific West, but ever thought of Hawaiian Metal? Well emerging from the secluded island archipegalo is the female-fronted Gothic Metal band Storm with their infectious debut album 'Storm's A Brewin' '. Borrowing properties from the Doom Metal and Symphonic Metal styles, this quintet certainly have ambition on their mind as proven with this effort, despite lacking something that would make this album extra special; no idea what it is, but it's lacking something, Storm certainly are looking the real deal when it comes down to initiative and original-thinking throughout constructing these hallowing and spine-chilling songs. With this album, Storm are leading the Hawaiian Metal scene to greater recognition. Download This: "Angel Eyes" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Evanescence, Lacuna Coil, Paradise Lost [8] RHYS STEVENSON  ORDO CAPER 'Promo 2015' ONLY DEATH'S REAL. Costa Rica in recent years has been enjoying a flourishing of metal bands emerging from the pits of the underground to more continental and international recognition. The latest to make this move is Death Metal duo Ordo Caper of whose 2015 promo exhibits more of the old-school Death Metal style, rather than the polished-off kind you find all too common these days. What also makes this release all the more interesting is one of the songs 'Igbodu', simply because trying to google what it means and not getting anywhere demands more curiosity to be given. The only immediate downside to this promo (and what can you expect?) is that at times the vocals override the music too much, the drums fade too much and thus you're left quite unsure of what to make of the promo holistically. Download This: "Red Moon Ritual" - Get the promo from the band via their Facebook here For Fans of: Morbid Angel, Old-School Death Metal [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON  ARES 'Divine Creation' SLEASZY RIDER We've already ascertained that the Japanese Metal scene is built upon breaking the rules, saying no to taboo issues in context with metal music itself, and supporting that notion with their second album 'Divine Creation', is the trio Ares. This is not Melodic Death Metal as you know it, there is much more going on to even demand it's own genre from which can be called 'Modern Apocalyptic Metal'. Seriously there are elements of Symphonic Metal, Power Metal and Metalcore that all combine together to create a sound that is sensationally mind-blowing, one that inevitably demanded a record label deal and one that will catapult Ares higher in the Asian, if not the Japanese Metal scene. Granted the production might well have helped, despite it possibly being naff, sometimes the bad things are actually ironically good. Keep this band in your line of sight, they are sure to make waves. Download This: "New Created Sky" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Fleshgod Apocalypse, Arch Enemy, Demonic Resurrection, 'Modern Metal' [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  DRAUGÛL 'Chronicles Untold' PESTTANZ KLANGSCHMIEDE Be honest it's always fascinating when a solo project or a band focuses on singing about topics totally unrelated to where they are from. So when Sweden-based project Draugûl divulges in Nordic mythology and Tolkien-related subjects, immediately the thought of Swedish musicians comes to mind, except that this project has its roots in Malta. Geographical differences aside, Draugûl revels in the Epic Viking Metal style and broods it well with the third full-length album 'Chronicles Untold', but it's stuff we've heard before in other forms and as a result the project probably cannot escape being compared to similar bard-like bands. Putting that notion aside, 'Chronicles Untold' does what it intends to do and does so gracefully, there is no doubt it will capture the attention of Folk Metal addicts, but for the broader metal-listener it might fall short of anything interesting. In short, the album is decent but definitely not groundbreaking nor incomparable. Buy the album here: Draugûl - Chronicles Untold For Fans of: Windir, Watain, Faun [7] RHYS STEVENSON  AGE OF DUST 'Messenger In A Soulless World' INDEPENDENT As far as Operatic Metal goes, this is a new chapter in the genre and without a doubt the small-but-strong Catalan Metal scene. Unleashing their majestic and energetic masterpiece 'Messenger In A Soulless World', is trio Age Of Dust. Drawing the beauty, elegance and dramatics from musical scores like 'The Phantom of the Opera', Age of Dust are positioning themselves as Spain's answer to Sweden's long-running Therion. With 50 minutes of pure lively 'beauty and the beast' serenades rampaging throughout, you would be silly to knock off 'Messenger In A Soulless World' as just another Symphonic Metal album. High hopes are expected of this group and there next outings will be closely watched with interest, what with a choir providing background substance this could develop into something rather interesting to say the least. Download This: "No Shade Of Grey" - click here to listen For Fans of: Therion, Epica, Lacuna Coil [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  LUCIFERUM PENIS '15 Years of Silence and Rituals' SALUTE For a band who has been going 15 years, you'd have thought that by now their sound would have been refined, matured and tolerable. Unfortunately Luciferum Penis have not followed that pattern, instead what you are faced with when listening to their monumental '15 Years of Silence and Rituals' compilation, is in short a waste of air. There is very little redeemable quality on this release and despite it's obvious kvlt status, it fails to capture any real imagination and lacks that convincing element. However for those who associate themselves with the more extreme, underground variant of Black Metal, this is an absolute diamond. But for the all-round metal listener, yeah, this doesn't hold interest on all of the songs, in fact the best one of the lot is 'Tenebris Irae' and to think that this one of the few acceptable songs on the compilation says something about the entire release right? Download This: "Tenebris Irae" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Satanic Warmaster, Behexen, Horna [5.5] RHYS STEVENSON  LOST IN PAIN 'Plague Inc.' NOISEWORKS If you seek classic Heavy Metal from the Benelux region, then look no further than Luxembourg's Lost In Pain. This quartet deliver a glorious splattering of Modern Heavy Metal with Old-School influences floating around in the background. Their second album 'Plague Inc.' builds upon their successful self-titled debut album and shows that they are a match for anyone, however they choose to build upon this effort will ultimately determine on whether they keep their feng shui intact. With the eccentricity of the riffs, power behind the drums, gritty vocals and unbelievably electric atmosphere, Lost In Pain's 'Plague Inc.' is a solid contender for Luxembourg Metal release of the year, they certainly would do well in the UK that's for sure. Download This: "Gone" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Steel Panther, Iron Maiden, Sister Sin [8] RHYS STEVENSON  SIROLL! 'Més llenya' BLOOD FIRE DEATH Now you probably would not have imagined Metallic Hardcore having a musical relationship with the Spanish language right? Well Siroll! have done exactly that and make their next sermon 'Més llenya' more brutal than being gored at The Running of the Bulls. But please refrain from using the term Spanishcore because one it sounds slightly silly and two it makes the band seem seclusive just because they're singing in their native tongue. 'Més llenya' comes loaded with riffs after juicy riffs, menacing vocals and drums so agile, Lionel Messi has been made redundant. If there was to be a cheeky tongue-in-cheek track it would be '902' because lets face it, it starts off with a phone ringing, it's random, weird and perhaps should not have been, or should it? You decide. Download This: "902" - Click here to listen For Fans of: Hatebreed, Converge, All Pigs Must Die [7] RHYS STEVENSON  CEREBRAL ABSCESS
'Promo 2015' PUTRESCENCE Low-fi recording, gritty, ballsy and downright dirty is what springs to mind when indulging in the the 2015 promo by Russian Brutal Death horde Cerebral Abscess. You can imagine it, extremely guttural sounds, noises, you get the idea. That is just the vocals, the guitars are so thick they seem almost non-apparent and the drums are so low it is as if they were in a recording studio the size of a football pitch. Despite this, the track called 'Exterpation Of The Brain' does have its merits in that it stays true to the designated genre, it just does not warrant any re-listening. It falls short of being called music but does not fall short of being noise, it just falls on it's knees and has very few qualities worth noting. Bit of luck this is a promotional demo right? Download the promo here For Fans of: Brutal Death Metal, Russian Gore Metal, 'noise?' [5] RHYS STEVENSON  CASTLEWAY 'Tales From The Old Times' Folk Metal comes in many strains, so how is that a band appears to sing about Viking topics and yet plays a sound that appears to slightly wedge itself in the Celtic Metal arena? It remains to be seen whether there is an answer to that, but what is clear is that Switzerland's CastleWay are determined to make a stand and have their voices counted with the release of their debut album "Tales From The Old Times" last year. Granted it's nothing new and whilst it employs some background Black Metal elements, the overall impression is that they are going to remain as a straight-edge Folk Metal band. Despite the gritty vocals, almost depressing violin elements, bouncy riffs and blazing drums, 'Tales From The Old Times' lacks one element, that is an atmosphere. Maybe if they recorded in the forest.... Download This: "Fenrir's Revenge" For Fans of: Heidevolk, Tyr, Abinchova [7] RHYS STEVENSON  NÚMENOR 'Colossal Darkness' STYGIAN CRYPT Arising from the depths of the Balkans, Serbia's Númenor summon up a majestic sound that would displace any established Power Metal or Black Metal band in the region singing about fantasy and correlating literature. 2013 bore witness to their debut album arising, 'Colossal Darkness' is a short 35 minute journey that takes you through the burning depths of Tolkien's Middle Earth and through the cascading mountainsides of the Dinaric Alps, but with a phantasmagorical image and artwork to potentially fool the listener into thinking it's a Power or Folk Metal album, just wait until you hear what this Serbian unit have served up. Weaving together Black Metal vocals, sensational symphonies, brazen drums and captivating lyrics, 'Colossal Darkness' is an album that is sure to appeal to many. Download This: "The Alchemist" For fans of: Bal-Sagoth, Nazgûl, Summoning [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  DEMENCIA MORTALIS 'The End Is Nigh' The Czech Metal scene at times is overlooked by Western Europe, it's a shame when you have bands like Demencia Mortalis tearing up the countryside and storming the cities with their Symphonic-infused Gothic / Doom Metal, a genre that seems to pop up in this scene quite often. It has been six years since their debut album and so when their follow-up 'The End Is Nigh' dropped, what you get is a beauty and the beast style vocal duet, supported by some rather sweet violin elements; as if to drag in the classical atmosphere developed by the likes of Antonin Dvorák, crunchy riffs and thunderous drumming supplement this and add up to what could be Czech Metal album of the year. Download This "What If" For Fans of: Virgin Black, Draconian, Paradise Lost [9] RHYS STEVENSON  SUBLIND 'Thrashing Delirium' Welcoming to the Thrash Metal arena is Sublind, a five-piece from the small country of Luxembourg. It only took them 9 years to summon up their debut album and sure the wait was worth it, especially when beer and Thrash Metal is involved. Oh hell this is an album that would burn your ears so hot that you would need to douse yourself in beer to cool yourself down. From the start to the very finish, Sublind unleash a barrage of maniacal hell through the usage of mauling riffs, savage vocals and stomach-piercing drumming. Make no mistake Sublind might be a small band, from a small scene in a small country, but small things add up to big things and with this effort now firmly cemented, the only way for them is forward. Download This: "Humpeknupper" For Fans of: "Beer-soaked Thrash Metal", Destructor, Kreator [8] RHYS STEVENSON  DARK DESOLATION 'Blasphemous Pestilence' SALUTE Unholy matrimony rides bareback on Dark Desolation's premier demo released back in 2012. Black Metal in India has come a long way and so when this five-piece leviathan unleash this barrage of demonic hell, the feeling left is one of despair and bitterness, so much so the next step is vomiting. 'Blasphemous Pestilence' is as raw as it comes and whilst the average metal fan may dismiss it for the less-than-average quality and tinny sound, the fans who love their BM as raw as red meat are definitely going to dig this. Make no mistake, India and Dark Desolation might not be in the same league as their European or American contemporaries, but christ they are edging closer to it. Watch these guys with intent. Download This: "Futile Dogma" For Fans of: Immortal, Dark Funeral, Urgehal [8] RHYS STEVENSON  JUNKYARD LIPSTICK 'Hellbent' Four South African women, armed with metal music and a musical instrument, what could be more deadly? Simple. Junkyard Lipstick. No, these ladies are not your average rock chicks, they are instead a Hard Rock / Thrash Metal group with enough attitude to smack faces. 'Hellbent' is a rollercoaster of a ride that takes you from the insanely fast to some of the rockiest sounds made ever, trip-wire riffs guide this ballistic missile-of-an-album through the maze of angelic and demonized vocals, whilst accounting for the drums that would make Lars Ulrich wet himself. 'Hellbent' is simply an album full of face-melting metal, sweat and more oestrogen than African penguins in mating season. It is mean, gritty and full of metal, but perhaps the only thing that is missing is lots of leather, fans may as well agree that seeing these ladies in leather will turn heads faster than Oscar Pistorius can run. Download This: "Reality TV" For Fans of: Guns 'N' Roses, Slayer, Metallica, Pantera [8] RHYS STEVENSON  SELFMACHINE 'Broadcast Your Identity' WORMHOLEDEATH Could this be The Netherland's answer to Five Finger Death Punch? Well it would certainly seem that way. Selfmachine excavate the lower depths of the Groove Metal barrel and smother it with Metalcore to develop a funky yet brutal sound 5FDP would be impressed by. Staking their claim as possibly best new Dutch band of the year with their debut album 'Broadcast Your Identity', Selfmachine are sure to be destined for big things in the times ahead and are a sure band to watch out for. There aren't many places where you would find insanely crazy solo's, blistering drums, neck-squeezing vocals and riffs so powerful it would blow women's clothes off. With just under an hour to keep you amused, this album warrants a replay at least threefold. Watch with interest. Download This: "Massive Luxury Overdose" For Fans of: Soilwork, 5FDP, Killswitch Engage, Threat Signal [10] RHYS STEVENSON  AEON PATRONIST 'Through The Paths Of Delusion' Arising from the tropical island of Réunion (near Madagascar), Technical Death merchants Aeon Patronist unleash cyclonic hell via their premier album 'Through The Paths Of Delusion', through the execution of slamming Death Metal vocals and such guitar wizardry, they manage to produce such remarkable time signatures and of course a level of brutality equivalent to that of a force 5 hurricane. Now if they were to play this live at an open air festival, the sheer ferociousness and brutality expelled on the album would be enough to blast the island straight onto the African shores. Take note, this music is not for the faint of heart and thus you will need to be emotionally stable to indulge in this band. 'Through The Paths Of Delusion' is simply a masterpiece, and as for Aeon Patronist, they are flying the flag for the Réunion Metal scene. Download This: "The Mad Poet" For Fans of: Gorguts, Atheist, Nile [8] RHYS STEVENSON  IMMORTAL EMPIRE 'Utopia, Nocturne, Parabellum' + 'Immortal Reign' Once again one of Norfolk's most beloved Black Metal bands, Immortal Empire, delivers another smacking of cold and bitter music. This time through both their 2014 and 2013 EP's 'Utopia, Nocturne, Parabellum' + 'Immortal Reign' respectively. The latest release carries on that raw and nitty gritty sound expected from an underground metal band. Moreover, the level of distortion and fuzziness adds to the sheer force of the music, it is unrelenting and is guaranteed to turn heads. With two tracks reaching the 8 and 9 minute mark, you won't be left short of what to listen to. Oh how they would bode well at a Black Metal festival. Both EP's are a work of genius and with regards to the 2013 EP, the same can be said as the above. A sheer stroke of genius and creativity is evident here as the EP unleashes a wave-after-wave attack of raw Black Metal in it's truest form. Sure this may not appeal to those who cannot stand poor sound quality releases, but that's what speakers are built for so turn it up. Both EP''s deal justice for the hard work this band puts in and thus their next release will be watched with high interest. Download These: "1000 Winters" + "The Conqueror Wyrm" For fans of: "Raw Black Metal" [8] + [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  DECIMATION
'Bound For The Chamber' Decimation's 'Bound For The Chamber' delivers slamming Brutal Death Metal, emanating from the darkest depths of the Cornish countryside. How hard can it be to muster up a sound that makes your stomach turn? Well Decimation evidently don't find it that hard, because their debut album released last year explodes into a full-on frenzy metal explosion. From the start to the very finish, Decimation bore down into your brain so hard it will make you go psychotic and eventually make you lose your yourself, even then Eminem would be unable to help. Armed with machine-gun drums, gut-wrentching vocals, murderous riffs and an atmosphere so close to that of the Saw films, Decimiation are poised to make a buzz across the British Metal scene. You have been warned. Download This: "Revulsion" For Fans of: Cannibal Corpse, Decapitated, "Brutal Death Metal" [8] 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