FORTRESS OF THANATOS / WINTERCOLD 'When The Moon Is There...' SALUTE Once again here is another split release by the Swedish underground Gothic Doom Metal one-man project Wintercold and this time Satanic Tony duels with the long-going Black / Doom Metal ensemble Fortress of Thanatos from The Philippines. What more can you want than two grueling and abysmal bunch of musicians indulging in their musical passions, well how about a split release that broods in gloomy depression and powerful atmospherics, because that is exactly what Fortress of Thanatos kick off with and as the keyboard elements drag in an ecclesiastical feel, as if a funeral was taking place, the pitch is set for a blooming blackened storm of which there is no relenting mercy. Following the darkened epitome they initiated, the Filipino warlords curse and spit at every moment, that with their unruly and unconventional music plays right into the changeover hands for Wintercold. Wintercold in turn delivering another smacking of frosty darkness and carries on the gloomy doom emotions that Fortress of Thanatos laid out at the start. Certified not for those who cannot take the dark side of life lightly and absolutely for those who love their music to be as dark as death itself, Wintercold finishes up the split very nicely indeed and with it another shadow strike of true cult Doom Metal comes to a close... until next time. Download These: "Nahash" (Fortress Of Thanatos) & "Pitch Black" (Wintercold) For Fans of: Watain, Ghost, Candlemass [8] + [8] RHYS STEVENSON SODOMOPHILIA 'Demo 2013' SALUTE It's always nice to see a metal band arise from a hostile area such as Iraq in the Middle East, politics aside Iraq has over the last few years developed and nurtured a growing underground scene, the latest are bruisers Sodomophila of whose early style Death Metal plagues the atmosphere with guttural gluttony and abhorrent murderous incantations. This is of course their premier demo released this year via Salute Records and what comes with it is a face-smacking bombardment of blood-soaked Death Metal, verging on Deathgrind at intermittent points. Sure you would need to turn the speakers up to hear it, but given due this is a credible release and baths in the bloody history of the past decade or so in Iraq. Sodomophilia's 'Demo 2013' is a fine start and will surely give the band enough credibility to bring Iraq to the forefront of the emerging metal scenes. I would very much like to see them at Dubai Desert Rock Festival, if they plough this demo intro the ground then that dream will come true. Download This: "Incest" For Fans of: Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Gorgasm. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON EATING SHIT 'Supersonic Black Metal' + 'Bon Appétit' + 'Paradox' For a band that has been going thirteen years, Eating Shit certainly have had their fair share of delivering a musical battering that would leave you on the toilet for ages with the runniest of shits. Enough graphic detail, their latest release 'Supersonic Black Metal' is apocalyptic to say the least, sure it's a modest 40 minutes long, but the songs are practically insanely fast music with pig squeels, exactly how it should be. However listening closely and you can get a whiff of industrial music in the background or indeed what The Berzerker once was called 'gabba' and 'cybergrind', so you could easily say that the French trio have kept that tantalizingly brutal sound alive. Whilst the title may suggest otherwise, there is very little Black Metal in this release, but it is there none the less. Turning back the clock to 2011 and the band's second album 'Bon Appétit' immediately kicks off with a bit of tongue-in-cheek, with a waitress welcoming customers to their tables in a restaurant whereby the food being served has been genetically modified using meats and vegetables and will kill the eater via pleasure, the closing part of the intro audibly features the famous French phrase ''Bon Appétit' before the full atomic explosion of extreme grindcore takes a foothold as the album kicks into fifth gear and delivers a full smacking of funky noise, even venturing cheekily into the French language on 'Bioman' at the beginning; clearly an extract from a popular song before the grindcore crushes it to death, such violent pleasantries are utmost welcome. Not as extreme as their third album, 'Bon Appétit' none the less features some face-grilling music. Turn the clock back even further to 2010 and the debut album 'Paradox' sees light and whilst it clearly is the least heaviest of the three albums it still warrants a listen, it still is as brutal and heavy as any other Grindcore release but compared to the other two albums it lacks that final panache. Even though it carries on that really funny tongue-in-cheek element that the band's second album also features, 'Paradox' is primarily a Grindcore release and features barely any industrial elements in the background except for some clever tricks done on the evident drum machine on "Wall E"; just for a few seconds or so though across the song. Overall the album is very impressive, just don't call it groundbreaking. Download These: "Your Ballot In My Box" For fans of: The Berzerker, Anaal Nathrakh, Aborym [8.5] + [8.5] + [7] BACKDAWN 'Backdawn' There's a reason why some underground bands stay underground, purely because they are not good enough to get well known, much is the case for French metal troupe Backdown whose debut self-titled EP makes Justin Bieber sound godly. Ok maybe that's a bit overboard, but the EP is not even worth entertaining, the vocals are relatively fine but the guitars and drums need fine tuning and more effort put in. Basic Groove / Death / Thrash Metal and nothing more, simply put there is nothing to suggest this band have done something no other band has done, ironically it is a decent release and shows the band has put some effort into it. Spin it how you will because 'Backdawn' has more confusion in it than someone who is high on meth. Download This: "Backdawn" For Fans of: god only knows. [6] RHYS STEVENSON LAGERSTEIN 'Drink 'Til We Die' Since Alestorm started the Pirate Metal craze, it seems nearly most folk metal bands want to join on board HMS Metal, however Lagerstein is a different ale of beer, in fact they go for straight and basic gaudy Pirate-themed Folk Metal. Pretty sure they have got a better connection with pirates given that convicts in the UK used to be shipped to Australia. However last year Lagerstein made their breakthrough with their emphatic debut album 'Drink 'Til We Die' which features a rather nifty booklet that opens out into a pirate map, now that is highly original as is their music. Using a keyboard to create the melodies of traditional pirate music and the same sort of Folk music experience in the Celtic guild, that traditional old folk / doom metal feel surging through the core of this album seals the sound very nicely. It is early days, but Lagerstein could be the metal fans new favorite Australian Metal band. Download This: "Pirate Music Piracy" For Fans of: Alestorm, Finntroll, Dropkick Murphys [8] RHYS STEVENSON SPEIRLING 'The Piper' UNHOLY DESIGN Who would have thought that Buckinghamshire would play host to a two-man Black Metal project, well that is exactly the case with Speirling. The sole and latest release 'The Piper' drives out the old school style of Black Metal, nothing too fancy nor too fast resides on this 2008 release. However the vocals do make up for that substitute as they deliver a level of sound that would equate to the said missing music elements, for you to to really get anything out of this album, you need to listen to it numerous time sadly. On a more positive note it does offer something new, and so for those who prefer their Black Metal to be pleasant and more percussive than raw or atmospheric, 'The Piper' by Speirling is for you, a true taste of the English underground Black Metal scene. Download This: "The World Breaks" For Fans of: Underground black metal [7] RHYS STEVENSON ETHERNAL 'Grim Ethernity' + 'The Black Sun' + 'Arkioas' UNHOLY DESIGN Buckinghamshire's Black Metal trio Ethernal delivered hell with their debut album 'Grim Ethernity' released back five years ago in 2013. Much like Mark's one man project (where he is known as Nechtan and partners Blaidd) Speirling, Ethernal also drives out the old school style of Black Metal and again nothing fancy happens on this album, just simple and true English underground Black Metal, with a thick and atmospheric feel to the sound and more organic feel to the lyrics in heritage context whereby English mythology comes into practice. Again like the drummer's side project, Ethernal's 'Grim Ethernity' also does offer something new, therefore those metalheads who prefer their Black Metal to be along the lines of Winterfylleth and Old Corpse Road, 'Grim Ethernity' by Ethernal is for you, another true taste of the English underground Black Metal scene. Focusing now on the premier EP 'The Black Sun' which was released back in 2011, the first thing that strikes out is the title and the artwork and some metalheads would now dub them NSBM owing to the Nazi links to The Black Sun, this simply is nonsense it is more of a pagan, wotanist, esotetic and occult symbol, as for the music well that in itself is an occult, much improvement can be heard on here in relation to the debut album 'Grim Ethernity', the drums have a more pronounced presence and so give that really dark feel to the ambient atmosphere and the feeling this EP sparks off is one of druidism ironically given that said movement is of the Celtic mythology and occult, even so the lead song "Order Of The Black Sun" belts out a colossal sound that can only be improved if it were blasted out at Bloodstock per se. For all the controversy surrounding the EP the music deals with it via a mesmerizing and powerful enchantment. Furthermore when checking out their latest album 'Arkioas' which was released last year, the two tracks from their premier EP make a stark appearance on the album as the first two tracks, they are also of the same quality as on the EP which is rather odd. Duplication aside the album carries on that mind-breaking power of chaotic occult Black Metal and leaves the listener with a great deal of satisfaction. Shrieking vocals curse the airwaves with venomous spit and whilst that happens the drums and guitars battle each other for monstrous supremacy, hark 'Arkioas' is an album to be afraid of as it is not for the commercial Black metal fan, this is an album that shines kvlt and utmost truth as a force to be reckoned with, this is only the beginning... Download These: "Echoes" + "Order Of The Black Sun" + "In Silent Halls Beyond..." For Fans of: Winterfylleth, The Meads of Asphodel, Old Corpse Road [8] + [8.5] + [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON INTERNAL CORROSION 'Spiritual Poverty' WOLFSOUND With a career spanning 20 years you would expect that Internal Corrosion has a fruity backlog of releases that follows a similar patten to those bands who have been around for two decades... but no. 'Spiritual Poverty' is only the band's second album and so you would question what the hell has been going on? Ah what the hell, California's Thrash maniacs wield an album that does everything a Thrash Metal album is meant to do, fast paced music laced with neck-breaking riffs, unrelenting drumming and radioactive vocals, needless to say that 'Spiritual Poverty' is definitely worth that extra dollar to buy but don't expect it to be another "Reign In Blood" or "Ride The Lightning", just expect good ole classic American Thrash Metal, old school style. Heck they might as well resort to becoming a pub band or a titanic band in a local setting, after all isn't that 'Spiritual Poverty'? Download This: "Draw The Line" For Fans of: Metallica, Dio, Megadeth [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON SAPROPHYTE 'The Aberrant Paradox' It has always seen to be the case that Canadian Metal tends to be very ballsy, with a lot of cheek entering the affray and I don't refer to South Park on this occasion, nor the consistent linkage with syrup and a horny moose. I refer to the second album by Progressive Death Metallers Saprophyte who have dropped a bombshell on this occasion, with djent making somewhat an abrupt appearance on some of the songs and yet the maniacal punching in the face sound continues to wallop the hearing senses as if ear fetish was the latest trend. 'The Aberrant Paradox' is a musical feast that even the most gluttonous person could not devour or apprehend to, with the sheer magnitude of the death growls that rot the songs dry, the chemistry between the razor-sharp riffs and the solidarity of the drums, it is safe to say you would need life insurance to get through this one. Download This: "Nightmares" For Fans of: Gojira, Opeth, Periphery [9] RHYS STEVENSON GLACIAL FEAR
'Equilibrium Part II' This is the kind of music you want to shove into everyone's face, especially the hypocrites of today who ruin every country through mass control, that includes the corrupt governments of the world. Can we say that sort of thing? Glacial Fear can. The Italian's latest EP 'Equilibrium Part II' spits venom into your face so hard you wish you wasn't born, formulating a sound that comprises of Death Metal, Metalcore and Technical metal, this is the sound of mass brutalization. With a crunchy bass line, an emphatic array of fluid riffs and mentally-destroying vocals, 'Equilibrium Part II' is the musical sound of mass murder and as the fury unfolds you better take out life insurance, because boy are you f**king going to need it. Now, unleash the pain of a thousand spikes stabbing your senses dead, because that is what Glacial Fear's is like 'Equilibrium Part II', a crude slaughtering. Download This: "Ghost City" For Fans of: Quo Vadis, Architects, Born Of Osiris [10] RHYS STEVENSON
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ETEDDIAN 'Illusions' ALMAVI PRODUCCIONES Spain has a rather close love affair with Symphonic Metal, Gothic Metal and female-fronted bands, just like Italy. So what happens when bands like Eteddian enter the affray? Well what you have is a tidal wave of angelic and powerful vocals that glide smoothly over the guitars, drums and keyboards that all intertwine to deliver a sound that is as blissful as the crashing waves on Andalusian beaches. Their debut EP 'Illusions' features a whole array of sensational songs that are firmly rooted in the Symphonic Power Metal style, but what is highly amazing about this release is the virtuoso dynamics displayed on each song in that the musicians have this phenomenal musical chemistry with each other, make no mistake Eteddian are the real deal (they must be to have the guts to cover Madonna's song 'Frozen' which features Imanol Herrera from Vehemencia). Download This "Pyramids Of Chaos" For Fans of: Nightwish, Epica, ShadowIcon [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON MORBID VOMIT 'I Breathe Hell' A splattering of old school Death Metal never really hurt anyone, even when Finnish three-piece Morbid Vomit expel blood and pus from their corroded lungs, that grizzly cocktail becomes musically translated into their latest release and premier EP 'I Breathe Hell'. Think along the lines of heavily guttural vocals and add some crunchy riffs to that as well as furious drumming and you get the gist of what this band is like. 'I Breathe Hell' is a good start for the band but it it not entirely perfect, at times the vocals are so monotonous, there is literally no vibrancy. Furthermore at times the drumming becomes so basic that it's bog standard snare, snare, snare, so on and so forth, as said it's not perfect but should appeal to a number of Old School Death Metal fans. Download This: "Engulfed By The Plague" For Fans of: Carnage, Bloodbath, Grave [7] RHYS STEVENSON INFESTIS 'Requiem For The Age Of God' Quite possibly Dutch debut album of the year, welcoming to the Black Metal underground is Dutch maestros Infestis with their blood-splattered debut album 'Requiem For The Age Of God', instantly upon listening to the anti-religious sermons featured on this album, you get the feeling that they could go far with this sound. Furiously fast and complex drumming drives the even faster riffs to the edge of agile insanity whilst the cursing vocals spewed out by vocalist Dictator deal the most damage. Please note this is not a Nazi BM band, nor do they associate with them, this is simply anti-religious, perhaps Satanic Black Metal. Whatever you want to call it, the reality is the album 'Requiem For The Age Of God' deals the band justice and has the brutal power to propel them onto major festivals in the years ahead. Dutch Black Metal will never be the same again. Download This: "It Will End" For Fans of: Carpathian Forest, Watain, Bathory [9] RHYS STEVENSON NORRSKOLD 'Blessings Of Winter' Norrsköld is the product of brainchild Henrik Bodin-Sköld (Norrsköld) and focuses solely on Swedish folklore whilst indulging in the beauty of Melodic Black / Folk Metal, 2013 marks the Swede's debut EP and what a sensation it is. With the melodies evidently residing within the complex romance between the snappy riffs and blistering drumming, all that's left is the vocals which encase the sound in a blanket of emphatic shrieking. So take the folk elements of Swedish and the Scandinavian traditions, smother it with the wintry bitterness that Wintersun deliver and bolt on some sensational Black Metal and you have a release that anyone would not snuff at. Now where did I leave that akvavit... Download This: "Where Death Smites" For Fans of: Winterfylleth, Cnoc En Tursa, Helheim [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON FROZEN HELL 'Rise!' Fresh on the block is the Italian five-piece Frozen Hell and their premier EP 'Rise!', what we have here is an interesting style of Melodic Death Metal, because whilst the vocals deliver the all important Death Metal part, their is no melody, instead the melody comes from the complex interactions between the guitars and drums, sadly at times it does not cut it and some songs are left unimpressive. On the other hand, songs like 'Rise!' which is also the name of the EP actually nails the sound well on the head and is the sound Frozen Hell should carry on with. It's a case of whether you love them or you hate them, they are a decent enough band with an above average release, it just does not cut it entirely enough for them to break out of Italy, as said if they keep up the sound on the song 'Rise!' and also "Interrupted", they could go places. Download This: "Rise!" For Fans of: Amon Amarth, Scar Symmetry, Threat Signal [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON MEGAHERA 'Condemned To Insanity' HELLION A really interesting bunch Megahera are because when you take their second album and especially their song "Condemned To Insanity" and play it from 0:54 to around 1:06, you get the feeling that this is the same intro as 'Angel of Death' by Slayer, raise an eyebrow there. What's more interesting is that they claim they play Heavy Metal, when evidently it's faster than that, try Heavy Thrash Metal. Anyway the album itself is a long one, standing at 72 minutes you better have some time on your hands to listen to the sheer length of each song, each song providing a different style of metal and composition, but overall it is both good and sad to say that whilst this may be just another one of those generic Heavy Metal albums, it is a decent one. See what you think, as this album could push them forward. Download This: "Azure Mirror" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Slayer, Early Sepultura [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON BLISS OF FLESH 'Beati Pauperes Spiritu' NON SERVIAM Poised to leave Europe smouldering in a cloud of ash and hellish Blackened Death Metal, the French legion known as Bliss Of Flesh carves out a sound that will certainly make the black plague look like the love bug. Excreting out their second album 'Beati Pauperes Spiritu', which can easily be dubbed as the epitome of pure insane mayhem, the result is a furious rallying of blisteringly paced double bass drumming, gut-rotten vocals and mind-snapping riffs that when altogether combines to make a musical force so powerful, Behemoth will s**t their pants like no tomorrow. 'Beati Pauperes Spiritu' is by far one of the darkest and most extreme metal albums to emerge out of the French abyss and is sure to garner the quintet well earned attention. Download This: "On The Paths To Expiation" For Fans of: Behemoth, Smouldering In Forgotten, Arallu [9] RHYS STEVENSON HAMMER PERSUASION 'Necropsy Of The Human Mind' Last year Australian four-piece Hammer Persuasion made their awaited debut album come to life, 'Necropsy of the Human Mind' demonstrates a cataclysmic mixture of melodic death metal with insane Thrash Metal and whilst this is going on, they manage to squeeze some Progressive and Power elements into the music, most notably found in the riffs demonstrated on the song 'Necropsy Of The Human Mind', sure the vocals need a bit of work on because at times the lyrics are hardly understandable, anyway who cares.. mosh away. 'Necropsy Of The Human Mind' is a decently crafted release, but in order for them to actually break outside of the Australian mainland they will need to re-tune themselves a bit to make it sound more credible. Download This: "Necropsy Of The Human Mind" For Fans of: In Flames, Mastodon, Iron Maiden [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON INZENITH 'In The Abyss Of Mind' Chile seems to produce a lot of Death Metal and Thrash Metal bands so it comes to be a bit of a break when Inzenith make themselves known via their premier album released last year. 'In The Abyss Of Mind' takes you on a magical journey through various sounds and elements, all of which calculate to make Symphonic Avant-Garde Metal. Sure if you had the time to listen to a 15 minute epic track you would and to be quite frank it is well worth it, even though 'In The Abyss Of Mind' is not for those who hate slow atmospheric music and or are not a fan of Symphonic Metal. The truth is 'In The Abyss Of Mind' and Inzenith are simply Chilean gems, they could be something more but nothing less, it's just a matter of time before they unveil their next release. Download This: "Undergrave" For Fans of: Cadaveria, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Winds [8] RHYS STEVENSON ENMACHINED
'Thrash Assault' SALUTE Now anyone would have thought that Bangladesh was only known for it's cyclonic climate and the country people have their clothes made in, but nothing is more metal than Enmachined. Leading the Bangladeshi Metal scene to the global stage with their debut demo 'Thrash Assault', Enmachined whip together a sound that defies the general ruling of playing as fast as you can, instead the five member platoon arm themselves with severe riffs, unbelievably mindblowing solo's, beat perfect drumming and Iron Maiden-cum-Metallica vocals. 'Thrash Assault' may not have the best recorded sound but after all who said metal had to be as loud as dubstep club nights? No one, however Enmachine are right in that it is bone-crushing Thrash Metal. It is early times for the kids from Dhaka, but this could be the dawning of a new age for them as they deliver a promising debut, the fact is inescapable in that Enmachined are proudly flying the flag for the Bangladeshi Metal scene. Download This: "Loggerhead" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Metallica, Gama Bomb [8] RHYS STEVENSON ROTTEN DOOM 'This War Begins...' Remember that Mayan prophecy that the world will end? Well they were wrong, but they were right at there being an apocalypse, just this apocalypse is a tad smaller than a hand grenade explosion. Coming into the firing range is Mexico's Rotten Doom of whose debut album 'This War Begins...' redefines the epitome of the Melodic Death Metal audio infrastructure, forget the fancy stuff you would experience with bands like Scar Symmetry and zone into the harsher vocal and stiffer music territories and you'll end up with an idea of what this lot sound like. Now whilst 'This War Begins...' is a decent enough start to the band's career, the melodic elements need to be fined tuned even more because whilst there is some melody present, it is not enough to get the full feeling of complete satisfaction, needless to say it is a decent enough effort and yet as the album progresses, the songs steadily improve, weird eh? Download This: "This War" For Fans of: Cannibal Corpse, American Melodic Death Metal bands. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON MISTH 'Rise Of A New Day' PROGRESS 'Rise Of A New Day' the debut album by Progressive Metal / Hard Rock outfit Misth bursts out at the seems with a fruitful sound of theatrical vocals that instantaneously warp you to another dimension, let's face it the vocals and music would bode well in a massive arena (even a Colosseum!). As for the overall production, well 'Rise Of A New Day' features a whole host of songs that features quick shifting time signatures on the guitars and whilst you may think we have another female fronted band trying to emulate Evanescence or Paramore, or another established band, think again. Misth are a band of their own and are preparing to slaughter your senses dead until the world wakes up to the 'Rise Of A New Day'. Download This: "Life's Arena" For Fans of: Avenged Sevenfold, Anathema, Katatonia [8] RHYS STEVENSON DOOMED FROM DAY ONE 'Nine Fingers' The hint is in the title, nine fingers and the tenth is flipping the bird at your miserable pathetic self, well so it would seem, or it could be a secret message to say 'f**k the world'. What ever it means, 'Nine Fingers' is the second face-smashing EP by Surrey bruisers Doomed From Day One, and doomed you will be when you face the almighty fury demonstrated by this Progressive Death lot. Eccentric guitar riffs push this EP hard and ballistic whilst the drums and vocals demean your life so much you wish you were dead, well that is the sort of feeling you will feel when faced by this Surrey ten-legged monster. Make no mistake Doomed From Day One are going places and with it they take their hellish angelic brutality with them, prepare for an almighty apocalyptic slaughter. Download This: Cut & Hunt For fans of: Whitechapel, The Black Dahlia Murder, Between The Buried & Me. [9] RHYS STEVENSON VIOLENTORY 'Theory Of Life' When will some bands realize you don't have to either break the drum kit, snap a few strings or break your voice-box just to create music, in no way does that apply to Bulgaria's Violentory. However it must be said that they aren't exactly the most orchestrated of chaps, for example the music is too slow and the Death Metal vocals are too weak; not enough grit or angst to provoke a feeling. This of course can be heard on their debut album 'Theory Of Life', on the other hand if your looking for melodic vocals and power then they nail that right on the head. With an hour's worth of Melodic Death Metal being mixed with Progressive Metal elements, there is something for everyone on this album, but those vocals aren't gritty enough.... Download This: "Over You" For Fans of: Opeth, Dream Theater, Meshuggah [7] RHYS STEVENSON WRETCHED SOUL 'Veronica' DARK LORD Canterbury may be the home of the renowned cathedral, but I would assume that not even Geoffrey Chaucer saw this one coming after the infamous 'Canterbury Tales' stormed the UK with extreme force, after all taking Wretched Soul into account as the latest reason to visit Canterbury is an understatement. Unleashing their highly anticipated debut album 'Veronica', the modern Death Thrashers krank up the gears and let go of the brakes to release an album that speaks speed and delivers a brutally powerful tone to it, so much you might want life insurance coverage before listening to this megalithic masterpiece. 'Veronica' is one of those albums that should have the words 'resistance is futile' slapped on it, let's face it if you're not a fan of either A. Death Metal, B. Thrash metal or C. Metal, then you are missing out on what could be regarded as debutant album of the year. Download This: "Summon The Hunter" For Fans of: Metallica, Megadeth, 'insanely godly music' [10] RHYS STEVENSON THE ZEN 'Somewhere On Earth' What happens when you get five Catalonian metal musicians and give them the keys to endless possibilities? You end up with a carefully calculated algorithmic sound that eclipses any band playing djent metal. After all this lot play rather convincing Melodic Death Metal and to a sublime level also, given that their debut album 'Somewhere On Earth' dropped last year and that they have only been going two years, we could have the new Scar Symmetry on our cards. Expect a continuous flow of unforgiving vocals as well as gnarly riffs and brutally tantalizing drumming, Catalonia may only be an autonomous region within the Spanish lands, but boy The Zen are truly flying the flag for the Catalonian Metal scene, this band will go far make no mistake about it. Download This: "Mystic Challenge" For Fans of: Scar Symmetry, Breach The Void, Mnemic [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON SATCCONNIA 'Chaos' Instantaneously the feeling of total beauty comes rushing towards you at a ballistic speed and caresses the soul entirely until you feel completely relaxed. Of course when band's like Spain's Satcconnia deliver their debut album, you cannot deny that the music hey have created is so calming that it takes you into a state of being completely relaxed. Through the magical usage of elegant keyboard elements and the vibrant power spewed out through the soprano-like vocals, percussive riffs and drumming, Satcconnia prove why Spain is a power-house for such elegant music, not only metal. As for their 2012 release 'Chaos', it sparks up a considerable amount of attachment between the music and the listener and ultimately sheds harmonies like no tomorrow. Download This: "Idyllic World" For Fans of: Nightwish, Therion, Lacuna Coil [8] RHYS STEVENSON AGONY OF THE BLEEDING FLESH 'Everlasting Piracy' What you could easily call the darker brotherhood of Alestorm, enter French metallers Agony Of The Bleeding Flesh and their emphatically brilliant debut album 'Everlasting Piracy'. Weaving together a rum-laden sound of Black Metal with the heavy brutality of Death Metal and the agility of Thrash Metal, this is a band that should explode across the continent very soon. Defying the generic folk metal style that most Pirate-themed bands seem to use, Agony Of The Bleeding Flesh take allegiance with the likes of Black beard and Davy Jones, but don't forget that this lot hail from the Celtic nation of Brittany and that you could easily tie them down with links to the pirates of Cornwall, so given that this band are assured of international recognition it would seem almost likely that this is going to be the band's finest hour. Download This: "To Penetrate" For fans of: Cirith Gorgor, Aura Noir, Celtic Frost [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON SHUTDOWN 'Heavy As Metal & Hot As Hell' Nothing beats the sound of good ole fashioned classic heavy metal no matter what country it comes from, take for example Shutdown from Slovenia who released their debut album 'Heavy As Metal & Hot As Hell' last year, the funny thing is it sounds too cheesy to be true. Sure you get the original style vocals and choppy riffs alongside the classic drum beat, but don't expect anything else other than that. So what you have here is another average Heavy Metal album and as the title suggests, it focuses on the hard rock side of the infamous music style. But as said it is good to hear old fashioned classic heavy metal, just don't expect them to be anything like Iron Maiden. Download This: "Dedicated To Mars" For Fans of: Def Leppard, Van Halen, AC/DC [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON VOLTAX
'Hiding Into Flames' SADE No wonder this lot were the winners of the battle for Wacken which was held in Mexico 2011, their sound is phenomenal, their third album 'Hiding Into Flames' certainly packs a punch that will keep you screaming your voice off until you choke up blood. The Mexican five-piece Voltax certainly know how to deliver a sound that never loses it's packing punch nor do they lose focus in the process. Charismatic vocals charge the lightning brigade forward whilst the battle music rallies in behind the main strike force to deliver a musical explosion that will keep planet earth rocking 24/7. Make no mistake about it Voltax are flying the flag proudly for the Mexican Metal scene, now if this lot don't score an international record deal soon I'll eat my speakers. Download This: "Estruendo Letal" For Fans of: Judas Priest, Motorhead, Kiss [9] RHYS STEVENSON THE ORDER OF CHAOS 'Sexwitch' Marking their welcomed return is Canadian five-piece The Order of Chaos, with their new EP 'Sexwitch' out in the wilds of planet metal it is clear that they are carrying on with their ill-fated epic metal. Once again they layer funky Heavy Thrash Metal music with a mix of grizzly and harmonic Power Metal vocals. What sets this lot once again apart from the plethora of metal bands who play this specific style of metal is that they have elements of funk here and there, this can be experienced roughly 3/4 of the way through the song 'Victim Of Circumstance'. Now all in all if you thought Canadian syrup was a sweet and potentially sickening experience if consumed en mass, then those who cant bare it stay clear of The Order of Chaos, for this lot will give your daily dosage an acidic twang. Download This: "Victim Of Circumstance" [8] RHYS STEVENSON OVERLOAD 'Blood For Blood' Sometimes the good old ways cut it, sometimes its best to go back to basics and sometimes its meant to be a classic. These all apply to the debut album by Kentucky Thrash maniacs Overload, 'Blood For Blood' eliminates all the fancy stuff implored by modern bands and erects the classic sounds of 80's metal and rock influences from the same era, so imagine the whole classic Motorhead meets early Slayer scenario and then add in pinches of grit and burly attitude that together enable 'Blood For Blood' to be a timeless classic. Sure some will think it's the basic common Heavy / Thrash Metal that every band seems to produce, but as said they aren't in the modern vein. 'Blood For Blood' is a classic album, underground and original. Download This: "Widow's Peak" For Fans of: Motorhead, AC/DC, Slayer, Alice Cooper [8] RHYS STEVENSON BREAK THE BOUNDARIES 'Masks' It takes a lot to escape the trap of being lauded as a generic Metalcore band, something that seems to be catching a lot on these days. Once in a while you will get a band who defies that logic, this time its Break The Boundaries. The Croydon buccaneers serve up a grizzly slice of bone-crunching Metalcore that snaps in elements from different music areas, from the vocals diversifying in as far as moving from grit to clean to almost an echoing whisper, but that is just the forefront of their EP 'Masks', the backdrop is a grueling explosion of glass-shattering drums and senses-confounding riffs that merge together to wipe that silly smirk off your face. Call them what you like, call them 'just another Metalcore' band, but behind the 'Masks' are five gentlemen that bowl more balls out than you can deliver in a mosh-pit, make no mistake about it, these guys are going far. Download This: 'Masks' For Fans of: Skindred, Bring Me The Horizon, Despite My Deepest Fear, The Dead Lay Waiting [9] RHYS STEVENSON DESPERATE SPINSTERS 'Sexless Restless And Cruel' Sadly this Wisconsin lot seem to have split-up, but it is uncertain whether that is true or not, but what is true is that the sole release by Desperate Spinsters, their EP 'Sexless Restless And Cruel' is a sexy Crossover Thrash laden release that has enough anger and sounds on it to make it a party piece. Armed with a plethora of samples and erratic time signatures, this is a release that you either love it or hate it or are simply left speechless by it, I feel the latter. 'Sexless Restless And Cruel' decimates anything that is caught in the path of it's audio destruction, simply put it is a release everyone should own, it's classic, funny and 666% metal. Now where is the beer barrel... Download This: 'An Orgy Of Death Starring You & Me' For Fans of: Zimmers Hole, Strapping Young Lad, Slayer [8] RHYS STEVENSON REALITY DEFORMED 'Promo' It is always interested when the first promo or demo first sees daylight as this paves the way usually the path that the band is going to take, in Reality Deformed's case, it is not looking good. What we have here is a fairly decent attempt at Black Metal as it builds up a bleak atmosphere and bitter feel to the music, but regarding the vocals, well... listening to a cat fight in your back garden is more entertaining, seriously if the duo from The Netherlands want to improve, then the vocals need to have more presence, be more sharp, be more noticed than being smothered by the excessive guitar playing. Other than that, the drums are probably the only best thing about this release, but given credit it could have been a lot, lot, worse. [4.5] RHYS STEVENSON THEOPSYA 'Tales Of An Angel' A classic case of beauty and the beast right here, well you can say that, but the honorable truth is that Theopsya, France's angelic symphonic Gothic / power metal group emit such a delicate sound on their debut EP 'Tales Of An Angel' released 2 years ago, that they could easily be dubbed as the 'product of merging Nightwish with Within Temptation'. 'Tales Of An Angel' features a whole host of songs that carry such darkened emotions and Gothic beauty that resulted in Toulouse being splattered by black paint as to match the feeling this release delivers. With the sensational vocals being matched by a virtuoso-like performance on the guitars and a solid drumming backdrop finalizing the phenomenal atmosphere developed, Theopsya may be a hidden gem that deserves a lot of attention. Download This: "Blood & Sand" For Fans of: Nightwish (Tarja era), Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil, Macbeth [8] RHYS STEVENSON BLACK DEMON 'Demons of War, Demons of Darkness' There are times where one thinks, just because you can play an instrument or sing, does not mean you are good enough to be in a metal band, this is somewhat the case for Black Demon, in particular their 2012 demo 'Demons of War, Demons of Darkness', the guitars are solid and the drums perfect, the vocals are left to be desired, they are far from the clean crispness you would expect from the Heavy Metal genre, in fact the vocals are so gritty, tarmac companies could use them to make new roads. It has nothing to do with the Spanish accent, the vocals are just awful. Just imagine you are listening to an instrumental if you come across the demo, it is the best option for you. Download This: "Hell of Steel" [5.5] RHYS STEVENSON RED DESCENDING 'Kingdoms' + 'Burned To Death DVD' Ten years down the line and Australian Melodic Death mob Red Descending are still going strong, firing on all cylinders and showing great sharp determination to make themselves stand out, this is evident on their latest album release 'Kingdoms' which dropped 2 years ago, featuring low-tune drums and bitterly sharp riffs that sit nicely in the background whilst in the forefront, the vocals let rip on a magnitude frequency that was reported to have shook the entire city of Perth to their knees. 'Kingdoms' is a harmonious piece of music that will garner attention from across the land and sea, sadly though it needs to be pushed out more and with that in mind, the true voice of Australian Melodic Death metal has spoken through a mixture of angelic female vocals and gritty male vocals. For their supporting DVD 'Burned To Death' which was released last year, features footage from their 'Kingdoms' CD launch back on 19th Auugust 2011 and also a video clip of the song 'Burned To Death' which was filmed 4 months later in December. From what can be seen, the live footage shows a burgeoning crowd in a relatively small venue but with various shots of the band at different angles and an entertained crowd, the mood was visually powerful and emphatic. But like most live footage, you would have to be there to experience the sheer beauty and power behind the live performance. With the occasional mosh-pit ensuing at every haphazard riff, it was clear that the band had the crowd going throughout the night. [7.5] + [8] RHYS STEVENSON DARK VISION 'Ingrowth' 2012 marked the hallowed return of Greece's very own Black / Death lords Dark Vision, coveted in darkened misery and eternal furious anger, their latest EP 'Ingrowth' produces a sound that will kick your teeth in, so much so you wish weren't born. Soul crushing vocals smash your brain apart like wearing away rock from acid rain, whilst the riffs and solemn drumming finish you off bit by bit. 'Ingrowth' is a release not for the faint of heart, nor for the pathetic weak either. That means, if you listen to soft metal bands, this is toxic poison to you, this release is only for the true believes of the dark side of metal, end of. Download This: "Pain Redirected" [8] RHYS STEVENSON HAEMIC
'Fields of Sanguine' At times international projects work, at others they don't, but what is unique about this quartet who hail from the USA, Hungary and Taiwan respectively is that they have never met and yet have the expertise to deliver the album 'Fields of Sanguine', a futile explosion of symphonic elements that caress the grim sounds of Black Metal and Death Metal in such a way that it makes it all coalesce into indescribable noise. If you're into your extreme metal and love a whole plethora of metal elements coming together from various aspects of the metal genre, then Haemic's 'Fields of Sanguine' is for you, think Cradle of Filth mixed with Dimmu Borgir and Strapping Young Lad. You get the idea. Download This: "Stellar Meltdown" For Fans of: Dimmu Borgir, Strapping Young Lad, Shade Empire, Cradle of Filth [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON HUMANGLED 'Odd Ethics' ABYSS Italian Death Metal veterans Humangled made light effort of crafting their next release from thin air, their 2012 EP 'Odd Ethics' spews more and more of the organic sound they made for themselves over the years and delivers a fistful of guttural gluttonous music that signals more is to come from this five-piece monstrosity. Lets face it, even a legendary goalkeeper like Gianluigi Buffon could not save himself from being mauled down by this Tuscany armada, and that's putting it mildly. The thing is, although the muffled sound that exists on this release may put some people off, the general feeling is one of celebration as the underground champions once again a divine release of sensational music. It may be 'Odd Ethics' that Humangled employ, but boy does it work. The moral is, resistance is futile, this is the face of Italian Death Metal and it is not leaving anytime soon. Download This: "Deny Your Creed" [7] RHYS STEVENSON NEBULOUS 'Destroy To Build to Destroy Again' With lashings of technical music here and there, it is without question that Nebulous are amongst the new wave of emerging French Metal bands. Armed with their latest EP 'Destroy To Build to Destroy Again' released in 2010, the sextet have enough panache and creativeness to blow the entire metro system apart. Fusing together a thunderous explosion of gritty Death Metal and a brutal slaying of Hardcore, 'Destroy To Build to Destroy Again' is a release that is sure to appeal to many, as much as this band pummels the human senses into a pathetic lump of aged matter. In fact, Nebulous have similar comparisons to bands like Noein and Quintessence of Versatility, these three French Metal bands may prove to be the French industrial revolution, a revolution built to overthrow the titans of Europe. As for the band's EP, there is much more to come and boy Europe better be ready, especially when signing off with the pingu tune on 'Faintness' Download This: "Faintness" [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON REPERIUM 'Deterioration' When bands mix different contrasting and complex elements into one sound that involves differences in tone, speed and brutality, the general results are dire and pathetic. Reperium defies that logic and amasses a style they can call their own and no one else owns this, this is heard on their latest track 'Deterioration'. Picture this, an ambient atmosphere behind djent / progressive musical elements and a blasting of Metalcore - cross - Deathcore on both the vocals and music. Complex eh? Reperium proves it isn't, in fact 'Deterioration' poses a threat on the over-saturated 'core' British scene, defying the rulebook and overused riffs, cliches, and elements that bands seem to cop onto these-days. Reperium are arming themselves to take this nation by storm, by watching the 'Deterioration' of the scene style of metalcore, may the true metalcore come back via this Liverpool armada. [8] RHYS STEVENSON RAJALLA 'Demo' Deep down in the frozen sewers of backstreet Helsinki a monster is born, that monster is Rajalla; a four-piece Thrash Metal machine. Armed with their debut demo, the Finnish group immerse the listener in the classic and modern style of the said genre whilst adding their own signature sound to it, that being singing in the Finnish language. So picture this, Evile or Holy Moses and adding to it the Finno-Ugrian language, this gives it a unique style and a more personal connection to the music, neck-savaging riffs cut open the titanium wall to allow a cascading sound of unrelenting blast-beats to pummel the atmosphere into total disrepair. To put it short and sweet, Rajalla are how modern Thrash Metal should be and to be quite frank, they are doing it their own way, and that is the spirit of Thrash Metal, breaking the rules. Download This: "Etsijä" [9] RHYS STEVENSON CHANGE OF LOYALTY 'Freethinker' SUBLIMINAL GROOVE Turn the clock back to 2011 and relive the moment St. Petersburg experience it's first ever earthquake, 6.66 on the Richter scale. The cause? A Teutonic, boulder-crunching explosion of progressive melodic metalcore unleashed by quintet Change of Loyalty. The Russian atomizers constructed their sophomore EP 'Freethinker' and unleashed it with such a force, the Kremlin had to evacuate for fears it would come crashing down because of the sheer immense force excruciating from the djent style riffs, merciless vocals and paralyzing drumming sequences, all of which equate to a audio wall blitz that takes similarities to bands like The Browning, Born of Osiris and Thy Art Is Murder. However, Change Of Loyalty have their own sound and after all are a unit that sums up as a genuine 'Freethinker'. If you thought you heard technically challenging Metalcore, think again. Download This: "The Last Word" [9] RHYS STEVENSON HEMORAGY 'The Thirst World War' France has generally lacked a surmountable power of having many metal bands breaking outside their own country, Hemoragy is a perfect example why. The underground offers a plethora of exciting talent and boundless energy, something this French trio muster and put to use on their fourth album 'The Thirst World War', however there is one notable downside, the repetition of riffs are overused on some songs and so it becomes recycled in less than thirty seconds. Overall 'The Thirst World War' has a tongue-in-cheek approach to the Heavy Thrash metal vernacular, that is the musical language of the said genre. Some music lovers will find it appealing, others may downtrodden it to the very core, but it still warrants a place in the metal scene as a decent effort. Download This: "Turning Into A Lush" [7] RHYS STEVENSON ARAPACIS 'Netherworld' RAVENHEART Turn back time to the year 2011 and experience the Canadian Hard Rock / Heavy Doom Metal ensemble Arapacis dropping their third album 'Netherworld', featuring more of the same beautiful crafted music experienced on their previous album 'Consequences of Dreams', Arapacis prove once again they practice what they preach. Wallowing in the depths of early Doom Metal bands like Black Sabbath and adding a Progressive element to it, resulting in a slow and percussive sound that is thicker than the thickest Canadian syrup ever found. In fact, 'Netherworld' summons a sound so original it is quite surprising why this lot have not exploded over Europe yet. The great thing about 'Netherworld' is that it appeals to a wide range of tastes, from the classic rocking tune of 'Crisis' to the melancholic and chilling sermon 'Lords of the Clouds', 'Netherworld' is a soundtrack of epic proportions. Download This: "The Affliction" [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON GHOST OF WAR 'Only Death Is Real' Forming the old guard of the Pennsylvanian Metal scene in the USA, veterans Ghost Of War emerge off the concrete streets of Gettysburg to unleash their majestic catalogue of sounds known as 'Only Death Is Real', their debut album is a sign that this band has a lot to offer. Offering a slice of power metal dashed with Heavy Metal grit is just the start of it for the band drives blistering paced drums to extreme speeds whilst the vocals fire lyrics out like a machine gun on automatic. As for the release in it's entirety, it's nothing new but it does not shun itself either, in fact 'Only Death Is Real' is a pleasurable listen to those who like their metal gritty, dirty and downright filthy. Sex, drugs and Ghost of War. Download This: "Absolute Nothing" [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON NOEIN 'Infection - Erasure - Replacement' LES ARTS BOURRINS It has come, the debut album by upcoming French band Noein. The Industrial Death / Modern Metal quintet serves up an explosive force that equates to the sheer power that an F5 tornado musters, whilst the music is a whole level more aggressive, faster and technical, there is no downside to this album, in fact they've developed rather dramatically since their premier EP 'The Initial Tale' dropped. Building up a more eerie atmosphere thanks to the intricate samples, cutting edge riffs, gut-wrenching vocals and a percussive beat that would get even the most hardened metal fans smashing faces in the inevitable mosh-pit. 'Infection - Erasure - Replacement' spits venom in every dimension, taking on board elements from Strapping Young Lad, Mnemic and Fear Factory, resulting in the scenario of it being apt to call Noein a French industrial revolution as they crank up a gear, electrify the ambiance and set themselves up with 'Infection - Erasure - Replacement' firmly grounded to take Europe by storm, if this was in book form it would be '1984' by George Orwell as this post-apocalyptic feeling of being suppressed with a revolution on the cards demolishes everything in its wake. Download This: "D-MOX" [9] RHYS STEVENSON CHASING IMMORTALITY
'New Blood' In the last year or so London has been a breeding ground once again for modern metal bands, first off The Defiled, then Despite My Deepest Fear and now the next wave led on by the mob known as Chasing Immortality. Fresh from the damp-ridden streets of North London, the lads have dropped their premier EP 'New Blood', perhaps a message to say they are the 'New Blood' of Technical Metalcore / Deathcore, a musical matrix that mauls any preconceived ideologies about this band being visually emo or similar. The Wall-cracking drumming infrastructure sets the tone for the guitars to shred shrapnel in the process of bleeding ears dry, whilst the merciless relenting anger channeled through the vocals are enough to make any hardcore kid cry for their mummy, or at the very least wish they'd had grown a pair of balls to match the testosterone coursing through this bands veins, that is the definition of 'New Blood'. Download This: "Her Lips May Poison" [8.5] 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 ONDFØDT 'I' Finnish Raw Black Metal duo Ondfødt make their first move by delivering their premier EP simply entitled 'I', from the start the explosion of bitterly raw riffs gets the music well and truly underway, whilst the drums and vocals alongside the riffs conjure up a cold and bleak atmosphere. Sure it is another one of those releases that sounds like every other Raw Black Metal release but in fact there is a major difference, this is there own unique sound and what one means by that is that it is very heard to pinpoint what influences are exactly involved. However, 'I' does prime itself up as a feasible debut and shall allow the duo to build upon this shriekingly epic release. Just don't expect any mercy from this lot, there is no mercy in this music. Download This: "Verlden Er Min Slakteri' [8] RHYS STEVENSON DAGOBA 'Post Mortem Nihil Est' EARMUSIC It might as well be accepted that France is going through its own metal revolution and it is fair to say that when bands like Dagoba release total chaotic hell through their music, the result is a mass brawl amongst many fans alike. Simply put, the band wielded radioactive metal to deliver their post-apocalyptic album 'Post Mortem Nihil Est', producing a futile and technological music revolution as to say the groove elements resonate within the similar sounds of Pantera, whilst the industrial elements spit out the total envisage one would want to hear from the modern metal era. What 'Post Mortem Nihil Est' has that defines Dagoba as perhaps a leader in the French metal scene is the constant brutality that explodes at every algorithmic riff and technical drumming pattern. When songs like 'Kiss Me Kraken' spew out a sound that eclipses the very industrialist sound behind lords like Rob Zombie, it is insurmountably evident that Dagoba have delivered what can be persevered as not only their best album to date, but more so potentially French Metal album of the year. 'Post Mortem Nihil Est' is out 14th June via earMUSIC For fans of: Pantera, Breach The Void, Rob Zombie, Noein, The Defiled [9] RHYS STEVENSON TIME GRID 'Life' Emerging from the Swiss and French border is the joint effort between six musicians under the moniker Time Grid and combining female and male vocals with two keyboards the rest that is expected, it is almost an advanced and updated version of Il Divo. However the debut album 'Life' features more than operatic style progressive metal, the male vocals at times are on the same par as Michael Crawford and so as a result the song 'Me' may as well be put in the same ball park as the Phantom of The Opera and that means to say that 'Life' is a myriad of different elements coming together to explode as one and shed a sound that can be likened to bands like Nightwish, Therio, Avantasia and those along the lines of the Neo-Classical, Symphonic and Operatic Metal styles. Thus 'Life' is an album that shall gain attention as a promising debut by this international group. Download This: 'Me' [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON UBUREN 'Sons of the Dying Gods' The soundtrack of gregarious darkness and evil has surfaced in the form of the debut release by Norway's Viking / Black metal trio Uburen. 'Sons of the Dying Gods' bleeds out traditional ass-tight riffs and shrieking vocals that would make wolf sex sound like silence, lets face it Uburen are amongst the same string of Norwegian BM bands but with an additional twist, besides the obvious Folk Metal elements inserted here and there, the overall sound is one that should gain considerable attention as the band do it their own way and not to any conventional playing style. But there again it is likely some extreme metal fans will find a riff taken here and there but will acknowledge that 'Sons of the Dying Gods' is a great release to launch your band's career from. Download This: "Sea Of Deceit' [8] RHYS STEVENSON LARCENY 'My Fall' SAOR How can it be that a band develops an angelic, soft-flowing atmosphere through the use of keyboard melodies and heavenly female vocals, and as a result can be compared to the elegant flow and sound of a stream or a gushing river? Whilst imploding it with harsh brutal vocals that would make any Alpine wolf run a mile at the shear power the vocals create. Simple, the sophomore album by Germany's Larceny, 'My Fall' is a total epic release, not just from the intertwining vocal arranages but from the sincere precision placed on each element that makes each song uniquely different in their own rights and the album a musical masterpiece, from this release it is evident that Larceny deserve a lot more to come there way and are sure to make tracks in the year ahead as listeners come round to grasp what could be German Metal album of the year. Download This: "Love! You! Dead!" [10] RHYS STEVENSON RULE 'Rule' There are too many bands doing the same or similar thing these-days and Massachusetts' Rule does not escape this trap, the Hard Rock / Heavy Metal outfit conjures up their debut EP and it just about sounds similar to every band trying to emanate the bygone sound, even if the solo's deal the release justice the whole EP sounds too much like other releases, on the other hand it offers fans and music listeners another chance to experience that all essential Iron Maiden-esque, 80's rock and metal sound. But be warned, there is nothing too unique here except the band provides their own twist on the music style, shame it's already been done before. Overall expect no compromising riffs or set ways through the music, just ballsy ballistic rock 'n' roll / Heavy metal. Download This: "Clining To Life" [6] RHYS STEVENSON JEWISH JUICE 'Fourth Reich' The awaited debut by Italy's darkest metal band has finally dropped last year, 'Fourth Reich' by the NSBM trio Jewish Juice wallows once again in the National Socialist and Anti-Semetic lyrical garden and plucks out six tracks that will strike fear in any listener. Underlying the political and fascist propaganda is a solid Black Metal sound, with mid-paced to full on raw atmospheric music that leaves a bitter aftertaste in the mouths of the listener whilst corroding their senses for a long time. For the open-minded this is a unique insight into the minds of those favoring right-wing ideologies and grim thoughts that otherwise on a purely social level would be spat out upon. No remorse, this is a decent and well crafted release that should not be taken as being literal as the music itself does more talking than the band's ideology. Download This: "Stalingrad" [8] RHYS STEVENSON TRUE 'Riders of Doom' Brazil's promising lads True have become true to themselves (pun intended), by releasing their debut album 'Riders of Doom' from the depths of the Amazonian rainforest, this Death / Thrash armada assault encases the silent atmosphere surrounding the listener and results in total Armageddon. What is sensational about this album is that it carries on their signature sound of dropping speed suddenly to almost narrowly escaping a Metalcore breakdown as seen on the song 'Forget In Hatred', but with a rallying of insanely paced drumming acting as the leader for the rest of the band to follow by, it is credible to acknowledge that True are one of Brazil's greatest underground metal bands going around, in fact they are the 'Riders of Doom'. Download This: "Obliteration" [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON THRASHMANIACS 'Demoshhh - Pit' DEMENCIAL Bolivian Metal is one scene that is not really promoted enough and yet when bands like Thrashmaniacs release their first ever compilation it begs the question if this band can lead the frontline to guide their scene forward. 'Demoshhh - Pit' is a seven track compilation that takes the best songs the Thrash Metal quartet has ever done, sure to the international scene it would be hard to decipher seeing as they sing in Spanish, but add a cultural value to it and you have got a release that every fan of Slayer and Evile would be immensely entranced by. 'Demoshhh - Pit' is a roller-coaster ride through neck-breaking riffs, Teutonic drumming and explosive vocals, simply put this release is a must have for Thrashers everywhere. Download This: "3:15 (Instrumental)" [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON MIDGAR
'Sombras Del Mañana' Spanish metal of late seems to be doing rather well and in 2012 one album that changed the face of Progressive Metal in this region came to life, 'Sombras Del Mañana' by Madrid-based sextet Midgar nucleated over the metal scene like a torrent of bulls hyped on crack running through the narrow streets of the fabled capital city, even more so think of 'Sombras Del Mañana' as a delicious paella, with spicy riffs, juicy beats and fresh vocals and then think of the entire package as elegant as the local flamenco class, in fact this album may as well be a damn good soundtrack to either a Spanish adventure film or elaborate dancing. It is fueled up to the top with eccentricity beyond anyone's imagination and as 2013 offers the band a new adventure, Midgar are sure to catch the eye of many. Download This: "Grítale Al Cielo" [9] RHYS STEVENSON DEATH BY KI 'The Right Of Might' Something strange is happening down in the West country and it isn't an upsurge in apple and cider production, although the latter would accompany well alongside Death By Ki's debut EP 'The Right Of Might'. The Somerset assailants lash together a blistering paced record that would surpass the fastest riff that Trivium could ever dream of. For a debut release, 'The Right Of Might' is what is expected of the band, a solidified explosion of Thrashed up Metalcore that spews out slick speed, savage brutality and ballsy face-punching music. Weaving in and out the Slayer-esque riffs and Lamb of God influenced deep vocals, Death By Ki may well just become one of Somerset's hottest properties this year. For fans of: Metallica, Trivium, As I Lay Dying, Lamb Of God 'The Right Of Might' is out Monday 20th May 2013 via all digital outlets or through the band. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON PANKRATION 'Beretta's Kiss' The debut album by Germany's Pankration is a major blow to the system, not only does the guitar playing at times sound a little under-produced, but some songs are so common it lacks variation. However songs like 'Revenge' give the album a kick up the back side, 'Beretta's Kiss' is a gunshot wound to the head, not because of the various limitations on the album but mainly because the sound is rather mixed, good and bad all over the place. Melodic Death / Groovy Thrash Metal it may be, but until Pankration actually find a common ground to settle on when releasing their next musical output, they will continue to be a disappointment. On that note 'Beretta's Kiss' is certainly a strange album. Download This: "Revenge" [5.5] RHYS STEVENSON ABOLISH OASIS 'Retrospections' AKASHIC The ultimate storm has arrived, uprising from the dark depths of the Atlantic abyss is the Floridian Post-Hardcore / Metalcore tour-de-force Abolish Oasis, delivering their highly anticipated EP 'Retrospections' in spectacular sound and fashion. Exhibiting a precise construction of magical riffs and heavenly guttural vocals that splatter ad hoc murders all across the Orange county, more than any Hurricane or thunderstorm could apprehend; that is the shear force of the music, it is so heavy it makes even the most ferocious weather whimper. 'Retrospections' sets out the band nicely from the cloned bands of the same music genre, with an infectious playing style and bouncy feel to their music, the international music scene may well have another epic band on there hands. Abolish Oasis plan national domination and then who knows, maybe a global apocalypse? 'Retrospections' is out 19th April 2013 via Abolish Oasis / Akashic Records [9] RHYS STEVENSON SCARS ON MURMANSK 'Into Dead Lights' GREAT DANE Of recent years, French Death Metal seems to sprouting out of the ground like a volcano readying itself to explode, no wonder then that the quartet Scars On Murmansk dropped their emphatic debut album 'Into Dead Lights' last year. Full of skull smashing grit and heavier balls than a testosterone-charged bull on heat, 'Into Dead Lights' explodes with shimmering radioactive radiance through the sensational drumming speed whilst the vocals and guitars stab the bleak atmosphere to make it bleed with the smell of irresistible sickening music. What separates 'Into Dead Lights' from the rest of the burgeoning underground Death Metal squabble is the insurmountable sincerity produced on the release itself, causing utter chaos. Download This: "Buried Dreams" [10] RHYS STEVENSON DISGRACER 'Worms' From the first song to the very last, Disgracer's debut demo 'Worms' spits out Slayer influences as if it was totally obvious, the truth is you cannot ignore the sheer comparison and yet when the Catalonian Thrashers finally get going, they can't stop - it was as if the off button was not invented. 'Worms' is your classic Thrash Metal release, pounding beats out the drums like no tomorrow whilst the rest of the music churns and lashes out a sound that is sure to give some people epic whiplash. In the words of London's Kremated 'Thrash Ain't Dead' and Disgracer know that evidently, there first outing is a delight to listen to but at times the guitar playing can get a little too high and less clear, but besides that the release does what it was designed to, to slay minds. Download This: "Warning Bell" [8] RHYS STEVENSON DEATHABALONE 'Somewhere In Between' Making their return back in 2011, Japan's Deathabalone unleashed what was their final release under that name. 'Somewhere In Between' delivers the signature sound and vocals that makes this band what they are, brutally powered by grizzly female Death Metal vocals, 'Somewhere In Between' is an essentially for any fan of the nitty gritty side of metal music. It is a vast improvement from their previous effort 'Rise In Rebellion' and gave them enough force to rename themselves as Faintest Hope, with the same line-up and the same level of panache, it is unlikely that 'Somewhere In Between' Deathabalone shifting to Faintest Hope, there was any thoughts of the band splitting, in fact it could be said they are just getting started, this Japanese quartet are sure to explode on the international scene in years to come. Download This: "Kaleidoscopic Dream" [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON WOMAN IS THE EARTH 'This Place That Contains My Spirit' You would have to be a complete die hard Black Metal fan to get any of this, sure the atmospheric ambiance that develops as a result of listening to the second album by American trio Woman is The Earth is one to keep anyone on their toes, but the reality behind 'This Place That Contains My Spirit' is that its bizarrely overproduced, there is far too much going on and as a result leaves the album in an awkward position, for example the somewhat evident blast-beats on 'Bird Song' get merged into the riffs on the same song and thus become rather messy. The upside to the release, besides being on average twelve minutes to each of the four songs, is that it carries a raw and unique feel to it, whether it be credible as a well perceived release is another question, but for now it remains a fairly decent effort. Download This: "Sage Moon" [5] RHYS STEVENSON UTOPIAN.HOPE.DYSTOPIAN.NIHILISM 'Pact With Solitude' If you like you could call this one-man project Progressive Black Metal, but objectively it is more than that, with the usage of keyboards and flutes, one could argue it has a more ethnic approach to the music and as the Portuguese musician Élvio Rodrigues delivers his first crafted musical piece 'Pact With Solitude', the feeling of gloomy nostalgia takes over, regardless of the fact that on average each song is 10 minutes long. The main focal point of this release is this Iberian influence that seems to flow in the background and as the project Utopian.Hope.Dystopian.Nihilism sounds out across the bleak atmosphere, the sense that this project has a something unique is an understatement as evidently it is not unlike Ihsahn but ironically is far from the Norwegian musically. Overall 'Pact With Solitude' is an album that would appeal to many, not because of its lengthy songs but its atmospheric ambiance that steals the show. Download This: "Pandora's Box" [8] RHYS STEVENSON DELETE THE MASS 'Μάζα' Just in time to rescue the Greek economy and delete the mass being of 'ολοκληρωτικό ευρωπαϊκό έλεγχο?' Can that be said? Anyways Greece's Death Metal / Grindcore merchants Delete The Mass make their anticipated debut album worth the wait, full on bone-crunching brutality that leaves you spitting blood from the continuous face-punching music that bellows out at insane speeds. Sure at times the listener may be a little lost with the Greek language, however on the other hand it offers a chance to learn the language of extreme music and at the same time a very old language. The major point behind this release is that it is what you would expect from a Death / Grindcore album, short and quick outbursts of disturbed pummelling music that leaves a pandemic horror scene in its wake, simply put the album 'Μάζα' is perhaps the best the Greek underground metal scene has seen in years. Download This: "The Essence of Existence" [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON TEARDOWN
'Inner Distortions' GRAVE NEW MUSIC Metal music seems to come natural for the Finnish people, that said when band's like Teardown drop their debut album over a decade after the band had formed, the anticipation gets to a point where it reaches almost 'die-hard' status, no doubt when 'Inner Distortions' comes alive with the sound of angelic melodic vocals and the signature Heavy Metal sound, it leaves a long lasting impression that reasons for the long wait as if the band wanted to make the album worthwhile and they achieved it. 'Inner Distortions' takes listeners on a magical journey across the frozen lakes and countryside of the Finnish wilderness, through it's spread out cities and into the most northern regions of Lapland, think of the album as an adventurous journey soundtrack; on par with Lord of The Rings and then think of the music as one of the contenders for Finnish Metal album of the year, no doubt this music is breathtaking. Download This: "Dead Cry For The Sun" [9] RHYS STEVENSON ITERATE 'Ephemerals' What is amazing about the Indian Metal scene, is that each and every band that debuts their first ever release ends up with a slight twist on the western style of that specific genre and so now Chennai pays homage to Progressive Groove mob Iterate as they have just released their debut EP entitled 'Ephemerals', what comes from this is a brutal onslaught of riff shrapnel, ground-breaking drumming sequences and a sound that correlates to the groove elements of Lamb of God and the hard vocal style of any Progressive Hardcore band, but the vocals at times sound a little weak and not sharp enough to make the EP a fully fledged success. However, fans of the djent movement will wet themselves over the guitar note synchronization that goes on and throughout the EP. Download This: "Light The Flares" [7] RHYS STEVENSON TIME'S FORGOTTEN 'The Book Of Lost Words' How many band's decide to release an album that is designed like a book? Not many, this results in the Progressive Metal outfit Time's Forgotten to do just that for their third full-length release 'The Book Of Lost Words'. What comes inside this intricate production is pacey drumming, Power Metal style vocals and slit-throat riffs, a concoction of sensational metal music that can only be designed and carefully crafted by the Costa Rican quintet. In fact what could be clearly seen here from the photos inside the booklet, is a merging of steampunk and metalhead fashion, this resonates in the philosophical lyrics that power each song forward and allows the band to become another great export from Costa Rica. Download This: "Days Like Eternity" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Dream Theatre and Symphony X [8] RHYS STEVENSON WRECKING TANGANYIKA 'The Witchcraft Project' Thanks to the internet, Metal music is reaching all corners of the globe, but what is this? Zambian Deathcore? Correct. Hailing all the way from the capital city Lusaka, Wrecking Tanganyika have released their debut EP 'The Witchcraft Project' and needless to say it offers a unique style of Deathcore, well actually it's a cross mix of Hardcore, Melodic Metal and Death Metal, none the less it is unique in that it incorporates traditional African rhythm, a some what ethnic style of metal music. With the snarly grizzly vocals commanding the front line and the music following behind with a pitch perfect face-punching sound, Wrecking Tanganyika are truly flying the flag for Zambian Metal. Download This: "How Long Till There's Nothing Left' For fans of: The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel and Imminence Download or donate here: http://wreckingtanganyika.bandcamp.com/ [8] RHYS STEVENSON GEMINI ABYSS 'Claim Of The Planet' It seems apparent that the Polish Metal scene of late has spawned off a wave of female-fronted bands in the Power Metal, Gothic Metal and Melodic Metal musical vain. However, the second full-length album 'Claim Of The Planet' by Łódź-based Gemini Abyss features a host of heavy and deep male vocals alongside the majestic melodies flowing in the background behind the accompanying sensual female vocals. What makes 'Claim Of The Planet' a spellbinding example of powerful musicianship is the interaction between the softened smooth elements and the rough gritty masculine embodiment, the classical 'beauty and the beast' scenario with added drama and that in itself is inescapable in that it is there and cannot be ignored even if one tries to, if you want gothic literature in it's musical form, then Gemini Abyss is for you. Download This: "Land of Death" [8] RHYS STEVENSON MYOPIC EMPIRE 'Myopeia' At times Essex may as well be a rather doom-laden place, how fitting is it then that two musicians come together and form Myopic Empire, simply put a Doom Metal band. Situated in the coastal town of Southend, this outfit plunge into the deeper depths of hell and drag back up with them a sound that is thick as molasses and as gloomy as a thunderstruck atmosphere. Thus leading to the first demo being born, 'Myopeia' carries a bleak and cold feel to it whilst resonating from similarities with bands such as Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard and realistically any band circulating the Heavy / Doom Metal crossover point. The salient point behind Myopic Empire is that they are carrying on the true sound of the original variant of Doom Metal. Download This: "Biofuel" [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON LOYALIST 'Train Tracks' Take some burly Canadians, place them in a Melodic Metalcore band and you end up with Loyalist, the six-piece outfit come from out of the shadows with a fiery attitude, ballsy riffs, mind-screwing drumming and the vocals spitting acid, as they lock onto downtown Toronto to pound their latest EP 'Train Tracks' through, seriously the EP brings out an atmosphere that makes WWF look like children play-fighting, it is that brutal and yet on the other side the melodies are more imaginative than Devin Townsend in his heyday. Ingeniously the usage of auto-tune has been used perfectly here within reason and the breakdowns are of adequate quality. It's early days yet but the Canadian Metal scene will be seeing a lot more of Loyalist in the years ahead, better make that the global metal scene as the band lay fellow countryman Justin Bieber on the 'Train Tracks', and you know what happens then! Don't you? Download This: "Normandy" For Fans of: Tides of Virtue, Bury Tomorrow, As I Lay Dying [8] RHYS STEVENSON Our World In Ruins 'Meet Me In The Circle' (Single) Massachusetts in recent years has been a breeding ground for endless reckless and relenting Metalcore talent, there is no stopping the locals from having withdrawal symptoms from lack of breakdowns and the sheer face-smacking power of a good 'core' band. Cue Our Would In Ruins with their latest single 'Meet Me In The Circle, spewing out of the centre is a complex form of technical metalcore with deathcore influences here and there. Drawing similarities to that of Resist The Thought, Partway Drive and The Dead Lay Waiting, this American mob are certainly heading in the right direction and what makes the song catchier still, the auto-tune and insane riff breakdown at the very end, followed by some rather technical metalcore. Check it out here: http://ourworldinruins.bandcamp.com/track/meet-me-in-the-circle For fans of: Resist The Thought, Parkway Drive, The Dead Lay Waiting [8] RHYS STEVENSON ORDER OF 315 'Near-Birth Experience' Order of 315 are a hard one to pin down and pigeon hole into one metal genre, they seem to drag in influences from a diverse background including Korn, Five Finger Death Punch and Slipknot, that's just the surface of things, in reality the music is more complicated as heard on the band's debut album 'Near-Birth Experience', it takes in the furious force shed by Slipknot but twists it with a sort of Alternative / Nu Metal emphasis, minus the turntables. The problem is at times it can sound a little too congested as if each musician was battling to get their music in, this is heard especially on the song 'Some Like It Shot' where there is too much going on and so as a result diminishes this band's true potential at creating something unique. Download This: "Nonpoint" [6] RHYS STEVENSON DEFACED 'On The Frontline' If they call this Death Metal, then Blood On The Dance Floor might as well be Thrash Metal, this is far from Death Metal and fails to even be considered as an authentic Death Metal album! 'On The Frontline' by Swiss quintet Defaced do it well on the drums and the guitar note sequences, however the vocals are left to be desired, metal lovers might need a voice decoder just to get what the lyrics are, because they are barely there, at times it sounds like the lyrical sheets were burned or something and the band decided to use improvisation as a backup plan. Take away the vocals and you got an epic instrumental, but the vocals let the album down terribly. Now where did I leave that Swiss army knife, ah.... Download This: "Gore House" [5] RHYS STEVENSON KEVIN M BUCK
'Musick For The New Aeon' OSIRIS Shredding is a form of art coming from intricate guitar playing, musicians like Kevin M Buck know all to well what is involved and what is expected of such a performance, thus the Illinois musical maestro comes back in 2012 to deliver number three, 'Musick For The New Aeon', a majestic and entrancing journey through the mind of the American to his sensational playing oriental style guitar compositions whilst channeling it down the Heavy Progressive Metal vein and creating music that fits the lyrical themes he has chosen, notably Egypt and it's associated mythology. Bands like Nile and Egypt's Scarab will be most impressed if they heard this and as 'Musick For The New Aeon' gleefully plays, you get the sense that Kevin M Buck is in the same league as Devin Townsend, a musical genius. Download This: "Musick For The New Aeon" [8] RHYS STEVENSON STORMBANE 'Tortured in the Arms of Salvation' + 'Abyssus Abyssum Invocat' Australia has a long and dark history and that may well be the reason behind the influx of Black Metal and Thrash Metal bands that roam the vast continent / country, that said when bands like Stormbane emerge on the scene, it cannot be helped by saying that this is what true underground black / thrash metal sounds like, speaking on terms of their debut 2009 demo 'Tortured in the Arms of Salvation, it is evidently clear that the utilization of atmosphere over production adds a synthetic raw dimension to it. In fact the demo itself is so raw, many die hard black metal fans would masturbate over the eccentricity that reaps every single note on every single song on the demo, but at times it takes a real hard attempt to decipher what or where each musical instrument comes in, its raw for sure but a bit too raw (is that even possible?) Moving forward to the 2010 premier EP 'Abyssus Abyssum Invocat' and instantaneously the production level has dramatically increased whilst retaining that authentic raw buzzing sound that makes the EP sound so lush, its like eating a chocolate cake covered in everything that contains sugar, simply put its so delicious that it would make you physically sick, but that's the great thing about this release, it blasts the whole room with the sonic menacing sound of blastbeats, tight riffs and apocalyptic shrieking, if only there was more songs on the EP; you just cannot get enough of this band. [5] + [7] RHYS STEVENSON IMMANENT 'In Acedia' France of late seems to be bringing more and more female-fronted metal bands out, is this a challenge for the rest of Western Europe? Maybe, but when Prog Metal outfit Immanent step into the limelight, heads bow in shame, well almost. The premier EP 'In Acedia' starts off with some promising music until the vocals kick in and there goes the question, are there any vocals? At times it becomes hard to to tell whether there are even any lyrics! It's like a bottle of French wine, fine on the outside but once the sipping has passed and the drinker is into the bottle it is questionable whether it is nice tasting or not, overall the album cannot be totally decried as it does offer a unique style, whether that specific style will catch on is another question. One element that does however offer some brilliance is the piano compositions, which adds a sorrowful sound to the mix, that aligned with the guitar and drum compositions makes the release justifiable. Download This: "Seclusion" [6] RHYS STEVENSON WORKSHOP 'Made Love To The Dragon' EMI MUSIC (INDIA) / DEMONSTEALER Comedy metallers Workshop make their utmost welcomed return in delivering their second album 'Made Love To The Dragon', what comes this time is another truck load of heavy metal songs that have so much tongue-in-cheek, it makes Comedy Central look like a cabaret act, especially when comparing to the song 'Gajanand Dhige' which explicitly sings about a guy having a fat bottom and issues surrounding the said body part, of course this does not stop the band entering rudimentary territory in relation to the song 'Naagin Ki Nazar' which talks about a guys jewels, or so it would seem, but who cares, whether your sober or pissed out beyond belief, the songs are guaranteed to make anyone smile and laugh, therefore it begs the question of whether metal music and comedy can actually work so much so that Workshop could appear at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival? What also makes the release that extra special is that the songs seem to circulate around the city of Mumbai (Bombay) and has a personal connection to the city, whether that be true or not it certainly feels to it and so when Workshop 'Made Love To The Dragon', they found their inner fire and hot spice. Download This: "Naagin Ki Nazar" For Fans of: System of a Down, Iron Maiden, Zimmers Hole [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON RECTIFIED SPIRIT 'Rectified Spirit' Heavy Metal being mixed with Metalcore may seem a little daunting and impractical at first, but once it gets into full swing it can be a sensational experience, something which Indian metal mob Rectified Spirit seem to have conquered upon releasing their debut self-titled album last year. What we have here is Iron Maiden-esque vocals and music being weaved into your traditional Metalcore sound, knife-edge riffs coalescing in and out the emphatic double bass drumming and truncated musical composition that slashes every ear that gets caught in this extraordinary musical blast of post-apocalyptic metal. 'Rectified Spirit' may well be the next step in adding a new algorithm to the already complex metalcore matrix, let alone building a sound that separates this band from the clones. Download This: "Bloodrush" [8] RHYS STEVENSON IMMINENCE 'Return To Helios' WE ARE TRIUMPHANT Could this be the next biggest Swedish metal export? Imminence explode on the international scene with their post-apocalyptic explosion of Metalcore infused Modern Metal, echoing comparisons to Denmark's Scarred By Beauty and England's The Defiled as well as the likes of Caliban and Parkway Drive. From start to finish, the Swedish armada's second EP 'Return To Helios' spits fire at every note produced and is certified to melt faces across the European Metal scene, the vocals alone set the tone for the almighty face-punching onslaught that soon follows courtesy of the ballistic drumming and razor-sharp riffs that provide the solid infrastructure that is Imminence, even so when the melodic sections cut across the insane multitude of elements pieced together, the band and respective EP still maintain that hardcore backdrop, proving why Imminence are rightfully poised to take Europe by storm in 2013. 'Return To Helios' is out 7th May via We Are Triumphant Records [10] RHYS STEVENSON WINTTERNAL 'The Monologue' On the tropical island of Madeira (a Portuguese autonomous province) comes the Melodic Death / Groove outfit Wintternal and their exciting debut EP 'The Monologue', as soon as the music kicks in it is clear this lot mean business, furious and exhilarating is an understatement in describing 'The Monologue', this EP has the power to kick your teeth in, beat the living daylights out of the pathetic individuals destroying our planet and the firepower to make an atomic bomb look like a pitiful grenade, with that comes the sensational melodies that keep this release in the overdrive region before taking it back to the origin of the music, 'The Monologue' atmosphere. On the other hand though it is nothing new, but it at leasts offers the band a way forward and the Madeira Metal scene a glimmering chance of being exploited, taking clear groove influences from Lamb of God and melodic death metal influences from bands like Trivium or In Flames, the rest is waiting to be argued upon. Download This: "The Sword Of Damocles" [7] RHYS STEVENSON T.A.N.K 'Spasms Of Upheaval' SYMBOL MUZIK In recent years the French Metal scene has seen a deluge of fresh and exciting underground bands that have the mettle to prove that they are on the path to gaining international recognition, such a band is Melodic Death / Thrash quintet T.A.N.K (Think of A New Kind) and their sophomore album 'Spasms Of Upheaval', what comes out of this megalithic album is a torrential barrage of differential sounds that emit from the same source, the talented musicians. Layering an aggressive melodic style on top of a percussive thrash element and Scar Symmetry style vocals, 'Spasms Of Upheaval' is the sound that will make T.A.N.K stand out from the rest of their fellow countrymen, now if T.A.N.K was to be compared to Gojira, then the former is a whole league above the latter, with no exception. Download This: "Through The Disgrace" [8] RHYS STEVENSON FURTHER DIMENSION 'They Live' BRENNUS At first the sophomore album by French Heavy Proggers Further Dimension seemed to be slacking all over the place, but in fact it is simply the opposite, some of the solos on here start off well but go completely overboard and therefore render the songs they are situated in as questionable. 'They Live' came out last year and delivers once more that technical math rock / djent feel that surges through the center of the band's infrastructure. Granted the level of extreme music is there in context with the level of aggression that spews out of the speakers from which one can be seduced by the mastery represented here, but as said things can be overdone and at times 'They Live' seems a little too pushed to be a great follow up from the band's debut album 'The Monolith Effect' two years ago, however in an overall perspective the album is certified for fans of djent and progressive metal. Download This: "Dualitude" [7] RHYS STEVENSON UNBOWED 'Unbowed' Emerging fresh on the Canadian Metal scene is the twelve-legged melodic black / death metal machine Unbowed of whom have just released their debut self-titled EP. What makes the band ever so promising given the evidence herewith is the delinquent melodies that develop a dark and disturbing atmosphere for the rest of the band to poise upon and unleash a barrage of sincere compositions that spew out comparisons between Vesperia, Hecate Enthroned and Cradle of Filth, the latter only adhering to the keyboard and drum elements. 'Unbowed' is sure to get the band some deserved attention from global media outlets and at the same time propel themselves forward to delivering that all important god-smiting debut album. Download This: "March Of The Giants" [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON EMPHASIS
'Into Infinity' Estonian Metal on the international scene is not well known besides the most notable band Metsatöll, so when Symphonic Power Metal sextet Emphasis arrive on the block and deliver their debut EP 'Into Infinity' expectations run high. The result is that expectations are surpassed, delivering a sumptuous mix of elegant keyboard symphonies that enliven the release and as a result the vocals, drums and guitars cooperate to perfection, delivering a sound and powerful force that has the potential to land Emphasis in the laps of a record label deal and selection to participate in the Eurovision song contest, in fact the EP blasts similarities to the progressive elements of Opeth, the dramatic atmosphere of Within Temptation, the darkened gloominess of My Dying Bride and a modern metal style that incorporates electronic-tinged background music. All in all 'Into Infinity' has proven its worth as an excellent debut release from which Emphasis can plan an assault on Europe with their catchy lyrics and totally musical compositions. Download This: "Running Man" [9] RHYS STEVENSON |
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