PANZERCHRIST 'The 7th Offensive' LISTENABLE It's always great to celebrate a landmark year and as Denmark's most notable extreme metal sons Panzerchrist make their twentieth year of existence, their seventh album is finally dawning. 'The 7th Offensive' carries on much of the war theme the four-piece have adopted ever since their inception and packs a more powerful punch than ever before, excruciatingly painful double bass drumming sets the intonation for what could be regarded as the most brutally tantalizing music you'll ever hear in 2013. What with Denmark recently winning the Eurovision Song Contest, could this really be the year of Danish music success? 'The 7th Offensive' is armed and primed to unleash a full out assault on the European battlefields, just like a Leopard II in full combat Panzerchrist will blow minds apart with this ferocious musical masterpiece. 'The 7th Offensive' is out 15th July (Europe) and 13th August (North America) via Listenable Records For fans of: Marduk, Cannibal Corpse and Bolt Thrower [8] RHYS STEVENSON NEMESIS 'Genocidal Battlefield' THORN MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT 2012 marked the debut album release of Nemesis, the Indonesian Melodic Death Metal / metalcore leviathan simmers machine-gun like drumming in sensational fashion and as 'Genocidal Battlefield' spews out sounds that fans of The Dead Lay Waiting and The Black Dahlia Murder will love. Pulsating drumming sets the course for this album to wreak total havoc and spark off some mosh-pits. Forget Indonesian Thrash Metal, Nemesis promise to take you on a journey that will be more powerful than any tsunami the island chain nation has ever encountered. As 'Genocidal Battlefield' paves the way for them to unleash another bout of metallic hell, could this be the best Melodic Death / Metalcore act to emerge out of South-East Asia? Download This: "End Of Breath" [8] RHYS STEVENSON BATTLE BEAST 'Battle Beast' WARNER MUSIC FINLAND / NUCLEAR BLAST Uprising from the darkest streets of Helsinki is Finnish sextet Battle Beast with their self-titled debut album from which features everything expected from a Heavy Metal band, heavenly vocals that come from the combination of powerful male and gritty female vocals, whilst the continuous epic riffs that wallow in the background along with the sincere drumming, keeps the listener on their toes and ultimately mixes to form a sound that even Lordi could not muster. 'Battle Beast' is not your average Heavy Metal album, it takes the whole Metal scene to a higher level and poises them as the natural rival to Canada's Kobra & The Lotus, whether you like ballsy metal or not this six-piece have enough power to ice up your eyes and slice your ears with a hailstorm of Finnish produced icicles, let the next onslaught commence. Download This: "Fight, Kill, Die" [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON FEEDBACK 'A Moment Of Transition' Considered perhaps the first ever metal band from Mauritius, Feedback employ a no-nonsense style of Progressive Metal / Rock that casts an explosive infusion of catchy riffs, unassailable vocals and an atmosphere that would inspire many, after all their debut album 'A Moment Of Transition' released three years ago carries a charismatic sound to it that makes some European bands look bad. Twelve songs equating to a generous total of one hour to listen to should keep Prog lovers gasping for more, in fact 'A Moment Of Transition' harmonizes the said genre and with their own unique twist, Feedback are firming themselves up to fly the flag for the Mauritian Metal scene. Download This: "Cursed" [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON ANOMALLY 'While The Gods Sleep' The Azores is not usually considered a hotspot for metal music, but when bands like Anomally let rip and release their majestic sound of Death / Thrash Metal with the elegance and visual image of the Gothic metal style, the result is outstanding. 2012 fell victim to the band's premier EP 'While The Gods Sleep', spewing out a free-flowing ambiance of guttural vocals that are harsh enough to make you scratch yourself. If 'While The Gods Sleep' was a footballer it would be Cristiano Ronaldo, full of guitar trickery, vocal projection and percussive explosive compositions that no one would save themselves from. Overall, whilst 'While The Gods Sleep' is a damn decent release, it is nothing new as such but still offers metal fans a tasty musical treat. Download This: "Controlled By Oppression" [7] RHYS STEVENSON LITVINTROLL 'Czornaja Panna' From the far eastern side of the European continent, a battle cry emits with such a high frequency the next door neighbors start to dance along to it. This battle cry is in the form of 'Czornaja Panna', the sophomore album by Belarus' Litvintroll. What comes with this sound is a rather odd mix of Scottish bagpipes, fluid Folk Metal percussion and the ethnic sounds of the band's mother tongue. However despite the originality and complete adhesion to the traditional melodies and sounds of their folk music garden, Litvintroll are an unsung band in that they are not as well known as they should be. This is proven on 'Czornaja Panna' as it draws stark similarities with bands like Arkona and the like. Ultimately for those who love their Eastern European metal, 'Czornaja Panna' is one release that should be in your collection, it captures the very essence of what makes Belarusian Folk Metal that little bit extra special. Download This: "Kryzak (Piesnia Pra Troliau II" [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON BONERIDE 'Weight Of Water' Making their next bold move once again is Boneride, the Finnish Heavy Metal quartet that celebrates their fifth anniversary this year. The lads have crafted their latest demo entitled 'Weight Of Water' and it features more of the classic sound produced on it's predecessor 'Arms of Mercy', sure the sound is not exactly new nor is it different, but it is still pleasurable to listen to, no fancy stuff just pure classic heavy metal. 'Weight Of Water' delivers three tracks that are at different speeds, but the same level of technicality, aggression and musicianship. In fact, this release may yet prove to be the best the band could ever muster. Download This: "Great Unknown" [7] RHYS STEVENSON MINSTREL 'Departure For Daydream Orbit' The Far East has always been a breeding ground for metal bands to experiment around with different music styles and elements, but never has melodic metal been infused on top of symphonic power metal in such a way that it eclipses bands like Sonata Arctica and Nightwish of whom fans of said bands will love. Unleashing their debut album is Taiwan's Minstrel and as the haphazardous elements fall into place, the overall impression is that this lot defy the rule of metal and create a sound that is remarkably hard to pin down. 'Departure For Daydream Orbit' ticks all the boxes as a breath of fresh air but whether that air is going to maintain it's freshness is a question worth asking oneself, all in all this album is for the eccentric metal fans, experience a bilingual release that flits between Asian and European power metal, just don't bank on the latter to pay attention to this four-piece. Download This: "Secret Time" [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON DRILLER 'All Shall Burn' Making their full blown debut album come to life is Polish Thrash maniacs Driller, it is not their first release but instead it is their first major release. 'All Shall Burn' blasts craters in the earth as it purges out a fluid explosion of fast and furious Thrash with the grit and dirt of Grindcore acting as a formidable backdrop. Fueled by the unrelenting surge of power from the drums, guitars and vocals, the album grills the senses until the anger inside builds up so much that you want to spit it out at anything living, including yourself! Think along the lines of the ferocity demonstrated on Slayer's 'Angel of Death' and you then get a clearer idea and feeling of what this band is really about. As for 'All Shall Burn', simply put it is an essential album for those who love a massive adrenalin rush and a heaving moshpit at the same time. Download This: "Drill & Blast" [9] RHYS STEVENSON DRAGONLANCE
'Holy Blood' Eleven years ago and the Japanese Power Metal force of Dragonlance emerged from the abyss, sweltering the land of the rising sun with their infectious riffs and audacious attitude towards metal music, that in turn spewed out their premier demo 'Holy Blood', an adventurous journey that is only marred by sadly the basic standards of Power Metal. For sure the two track release is only a snippet of what the band aimed to do in the recent decade or so, but as for the starting point 'Holy Blood' is a debatable release in terms of whether it actually is a respectable attempt or not, but as stated they have an audacious attitude towards metal music, it just not shows entirely on this release. What will their later releases deliver? Reprisal or a depressing downhill slalom? Download This: "Holy Blood" [6] RHYS STEVENSON
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ZARIA 'Sij Obzorja' Folk Metal towards Central and Eastern Europe generally takes on the form of being influenced by Slavic culture and sounds and Zaria are no exception, taking on their national cultural sound and lashing it to Folk Metal gives the debut EP 'Sij Obzorja' (Translates as "Glow Of The Horizon") its authentic and emotional attachment to the identity of the Slovene nationality. Sure the sextet Zaria from Medvode take no issues when producing this magnificent work of musical art, oddly enough the EP be somewhat likened to their fellow countrymen Aperion, although the latter is more Symphonic Metal. But for Zaria and 'Sij Obzorja' this is a huge step to gaining recognition outside of Slovenia and with the majestic elements one hears from this EP, that some how relates to music found in the Shire scenes of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, shall power the band on towards greater things in the future. Download This: "Njun Svet" [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON FRAILTY 'Melpomene' ARX PRODS. It was four years since the debut album by Frailty and now the Latvian Death Metal / Doom Metal sextet make their welcomed return once again with their latest album 'Melpomene', kicking off with some harsh bitter vocals that set the tone for the rest of the band to follow by and in doing so they create a darkened bleak atmosphere that would send chills down anyone's spine. 'Melpomene' keeps the listener occupied with the average song length being around the 7 minute to 8 minute mark, however the breadth of the release is sensational, for once Frailty are now on the rightful track to shed their music over the European lands and with 'Melpomene' firmly in the forefront, there is nothing to stop this megalithic monster from reaching the metal masses. Download This: "Cold Sky" [8] RHYS STEVENSON DERELICT 'Perpetuation' Taking into account a complex algorithm of matrices is never easy, especially in the musical context of piecing technically laden Death Metal with a myriad of differentiating influences from song to song, such an example is Derelict of whom last year melted faces with their third onslaught of mathematical death metal. 'Perpetuation' delivers a non-stop rally of face-punching music that would make any professional boxer look like a soft lad dancing around in the ring wearing a tutu and lashings of pink. So what does Derelict take to make 'Perpetuation' thee album from which the European labels should sniff at? Simple, Strapping Young Lad, DevilDriver, Neuraxis and Beneath the Massacre at a premium, however they brandish their own unique style on the complex music genre and as a result are primed to obliterate any pathetic excuse to why they are not simply Canada's latest and greatest modern metal export. Download This: "Spoils Of War" [10] RHYS STEVENSON ABYSSUS 'Monarch To The Kingdom Of The Dead' 2012 saw the premier release of 'Monarch To The Kingdom Of The Dead' take flight, it is the debut EP by Greek Death Metal mob and sad to say is not an all thumbs up release either, the riffs deliver a sharp and composite approach which, alongside the drums, acts as a force that even Golden Dawn could not comprehend, however the let down is the vocals as they are not well executed and need more growling to be inserted, in fact they are so bad the Ancient Greeks would not be impressed by the power exerted here and so the EP loses much of its luster. On a plus note, the music is original and for those Death Metal fans, it may well be a good listen, but for the benefit of the doubt it is questionable. Download This: "Left To Suffer" [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON RELICSEED 'Upcoming Second Studio Album Promo EP' Heavy Industrial Thrashers Relicseed unveil their magical works to come via a promo EP for their upcoming album out in Autumn. What fans can expect is blistering paced drumming, industrial funk and heavy vocals, all of which when together create a wall of sound that would blast any hole in any speaker that the music comes into contact with. With influences ranging from Metallica, Machine Head, Slipknot and Rammstein, listeners can expect a whole selection of different song structures and musical sounds whilst the Latvian four-piece retain that signature sound they have created over the years, and that's just the promo EP! Bring on number 2! [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON THE SUMMA IN VERSE 'When In Limbo' Trance Metalcore seems to be a hit or miss genre, you either get it nailed on sounding right or end up like another Asking Alexandria clone, but down in the underground streets of Bristol a project (hoping to be a band) is born under the moniker of The Summa In Verse. Putting together the electic elements of Hard Trance with some elaborate synthesizers cutting through the electromagnetic surge that courses through each track and then bolting clean and harsh vocals to the mix, this is some cutting edge stuff. 'When In Limbo' is what it says, in limbo between the electronic-sphere and the metalcore legion and what separates this project from the crowd is the unique layering going on, such a winning formula should garner this young musician some attention in the times ahead, in the near future. Download This: "Into The Inferno" [8] RHYS STEVENSON SILVERCAST 'Chaos Engines' For those who love their Gothic Metal full of power, bouncy elements and emotional connectivity, then Silvercast's 'Chaos Engines' is for you, unleashed by the Russian quintet the debut album has a number of exciting elements to it from the technical parts in the song 'Mechanical Heart' to the soft elegance experienced on 'В Лабиринте', sure the latter is in Russian but the album itself is a mixture of the Russian and English language, so one can expect the album to be culturally diverse. Even so, the keyboards add a calming feel to the aggressive drumming sequences and the savage swift riff production, all in all 'Chaos Engines' is a well crafted musical piece that should aspire many in St Petersburg to follow suit. Download This: "The Name Of Chaos" [8] RHYS STEVENSON SYSTEM OVERTHROW 'System Overthrow' Well the truth is you're not meant to be disappointed at the first part of a release, but sadly this is the case for System Overthrow's debut self-titled demo. The instantaneous negativity that smacks you in the face is the inescapable realization that the volume quality is merely abysmal, if you krank the volume up more you can hear a band that fashions the classic frenzy known as Thrash Metal and produces a well worked recording, but with that the consensus is that this is basic Thrash Metal with no real deviation from the plethora that swamps the metal music community of modern times, maybe System Overthrow will get better on their next release, but for now there is room for improvement. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON NORTHERION 'Silent Screams' Here again just another generic Melodic Heavy Metal band, Northerion made their mark last year by releasing their debut album 'Silent Screams' and what is featured on this album is ideally no keyboard elements just bog standard Heavy Metal with melodies circulating the standard instruments themselves, leaving somewhat a disappointing feeling. Perhaps if German beer was a little stronger, so would the music be, but on the other hand it cannot be decried as a total flop because the music itself is knit tightly so that any attempt to crush the music before fully dissecting it would be a mission impossible. What is possible though is for this band to seriously consider restructuring their sound to make it what it says it is. Download This: "Out Of The Light" [7] RHYS STEVENSON RAW ENSEMBLE
'Jesus Is Back.... And He Is Fucking Angry' 2012 gave birth to a new German Thrash Metal release, 'Jesus Is Back.... And He Is Fucking Angry' by quartet Raw Ensemble. What pursues next is a colossal explosion of gnarly vocals and the signature Teutonic Thrash Metal caricature, with that in mind the band opt for a more religious and evil approach rather than the political stance some Thrashers adopt. They call their music 'Blasting Thrash Metal' and they aren't half wrong, fueled by unrelenting percussion and bulldozing riffs that would make your generic headbanging style look like a pansies dance. Infectious and insanely fast is what this mob have aimed for and successfully delivered, so expect similarities with bands like Slayer and the whole 80's Thrash Metal era. Download This: "Jesus Is Back..." [8] RHYS STEVENSON CRY HAVOC 'New Life' UNSIGNED If Cry Havoc got anymore brutal then health and safety might put a restraining order on Exeter's thrash 'n' roll merchants, the debut EP 'New Life' explodes into life at every second and mashes up the evident traces of Pantera and Guns 'N' Roses into one concrete sound, rocking out of the starting blocks like no tomorrow. The killer riffs that reside on this release are sharp enough to cut your throat, so careful listening is of utmost importance. But whilst the vocals and music do the slaying, the only three elements that are missing from this sensational EP are the crates of beer, the hot girls and of course the record label, here's hoping they come out of the corners to stand up to Exeter's finest new band and one of 2013's hottest properties. Download This: "Ignition" For fans of: Guns 'N' Roses, Pantera, Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine 'New Life' is out Monday 15th April 2013 [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON GBS (GRAND BEAST SODOMY) 'Fuck The Holy Trinity' SALUTE / WOLFSVUUR The debut EP only comes 11 or so years since the bands inception, going by the title 'Fuck The Holy Trinity' is not for the devout religious followers, instead what unravels here is a smothering of Finnish Satanic Black Metal, the cusp of demonic attributes soon explodes in the vibrant sounds of true black metal. As for The GBS (Grand Beast Sodomy), the wait for the debut EP was pretty much worth it, sure there were three demos prior to the release, but the overall production and reception of this release is one of gratitude and disappointment, the musical compositions are fine, the only problem is that they are more Death Metal than Black Metal vocals, somehow Satanic Death Metal just does not seem to fit. Download This: "Tekopyhä Kolminaisuu" [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON NYA 'Driving The Nails In' 2012 brought many things, the summer Olympics, the Queen's 60th anniversary, but amongst this was the dropping of Nya's debut EP 'Driving The Nails In', what comes now is an explosive concoction of Evanescence style rock and boisterous Meshuggah time riffs, armed with vocals that would tease any guy out of hibernation, 'Driving The Nails In' is the new sound of London alternative music. As soon as the music starts playing, the slicing riffs do the talking as the band battle their way through the grassed over underground and prepare to deliver an all out assault in 2013 as they are sure to turn heads in months to come. Download This: "Open Your Eyes" [8] RHYS STEVENSON VIATORA 'Mede, Kruid en Mensenvleesch' In recent times there seems to be a mass influx of Folk Metal in western continental Europe, especially from the Netherlands, the latest is Viatora who hail from Maastricht and utilise their own style of Folk Metal by mixing violins and keyboards with the Dutch language, so if you like a modern version of Heidevolk, just with less Pagan Metal influences and more connected to original Dutch folk music. 'Mede, Kruid en Mensenvleesch' contains six tracks of sensational traditional sounds and elements that onyl Viatora can compose together, so if your looking for a soundtrack to a folklore party or event, 'Mede, Kruid en Mensenvleesch' is your answer. Download This: "Three Sided Coin" [9] RHYS STEVENSON CRIMSON DEATH 'Dead's The Way I Like It' UNSIGNED Germany seems to have a knack for Death Metal, and the 2010 EP 'Dead's The Way I Like It' by Crimson Death is no exception, conjuring up the old style of the music genre and adding their own twist to it, what comes next is a barrage of mortar fire in the form of missile riffs, machine-gun fire style drums and commanding vocals, the right sort of mix to make the debut EP by the German quartet all the more better. 'Dead's The Way I Like It' is a good propulsion platform for the lads to jump off and use as a block to gain higher levels, they will need it to emerge out of the plethora of Death Metal band waltzing the earth everyday. Download This: "Show Me Your Guts" [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON CORONACH 'Mountain Kings' Instantaneous thoughts are of that this band is a Black / Folk Metal band, but Coronach are ever so deceiving, instead what is delivered on their self-released album 'Mountain Kings' is a juicy mix of Death Metal vocals and Progressive Metal music, giving a final production along the lines of Gojira and Agonyst, but for the Cambridge / Suffolk based quartet, 'Mountain Kings' provides enough headbanging material to make the breakdowns of a metalcore band sound reminiscent of a chorus from a Justin Bieber song. What these lads have done is created an album that spits fire, warrants recognition and is a gem in any metalheads collection, however the production level let it down, on the other hand it gives you reason to turn the volume up past 13. Download This: "Death Bed Memories" [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON NAZGULUM 'Aroused' DETE NENAVISTER Maybe Russian Black Metal is on a period of going overtime, not especially when the quartet Nazgulum dropped their debut album after a nine year wait, but god the wait was worth it. 'Aroused' slams out the classic style of Raw Black Metal with added effect in as far as there is not a lot of double bass drumming and so what lacks on firepower from the behind is made up in terms of atmospheric feeling, that being sombre and enigmatically dark at the same time. But as far as their anti-christian blasphemous musical production is concerned, the band overall seem to have and have not any clue of what musical direction they want to take, maybe that's why its called 'Aroused', 'Aroused' by the myriad of non-connecting music directions. [6] RHYS STEVENSON DEVIOUS MINE 'Revelation' UNSIGNED Making their mark heard is Italian Melodic / Power Metal warriors Devious Mine as in 2012 they deliver their debut EP 'Revelation' in sensational form, exploding in the sound of powerful and face-smashing music whilst the vocals encase the surrounding atmosphere in a blanket of sheer epic force. More like the modern Sonata Arctica, Devious Mine are to become a force to be reckoned with as they slalom there way through the underground and with 'Revelation' now under their belts and primed for action, there is nothing to stop these Italian maestros from conquering Europe, 'Revelation' is a must have for any Power Metal fan, simply inspirational. Download This: "Love Keep Us Together" For fans of: Sonata Arctica, Alestorm, Amoral [9] RHYS STEVENSON MOSHPIT JUSTICE 'The Serpent' UNSIGNED The band name itself is a key hint to suggest this is going to be neck-breaking music, turns it the hunch was right, the Bulgarian trio make no mistake in vomiting out their debut EP in fashionable style, covered in the glimmering shine of Power Metal and the viral assault of Thrash Metal, that together produces 'The Serpent', a full on metal assault that would make Slytherin house look as dainty as the muffin man on drury lane. Blistering pace drumming propels the EP forward whilst the vocals and guitars deliver that all important cutting edge dimension that makes 'The Serpent' perhaps one of Bulgaria's most polished releases, all in all Moshpit Justice are going places in 2013. Download This: "Blood Of The Tyrant" For Fans of: Slayer, Klynt, Evile [8] RHYS STEVENSON RADIATION SICKNESS
'Neter-Khertet' They don't make cult releases like this anymore, and no wonder. If the word diabolical was to be slapped on a Black metal release, some would assume it is correlated to Satyricon for being now, diabolical. But Californian duo Radiation Sickness (possibly after nuclear fallout) and their debut EP 'Neter-Khertet' may be a little cause for concern, simply being that although it has the embodiment of a Black Metal release, the overall sound is a little problematic, besides the great level of rawness that resides here, the music and vocals are left to be desired, rather more leaning towards Death Metal, but even that would be an insult towards the music genre. The level of seriousness here is not in questionable doubt, but the composition is in serious doubt. [5] RHYS STEVENSON |
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