INFLIKTED 'Inflikted' WORMHOLEDEATH Since the 1980's Thrash Metal has evolved into many various strains, some establishing a greater presence than others, but one strain that appears to be making a resurgent comeback is the Old-School Thrash Metal style, that is the sound that is rather raw, comes with that DIY attitude and features a slight whiff of Punk. Entering this domain is Swedish trio Inflikted with their self-titled album, featuring an hours worth of pure old-school Thrash Metal, that's enough to cause anyone whiplash sixfold, unless of course your drunk on Kopparberg and then what would happen next would certainly make good use as banter amongst the local Swedish police station. Party all night to this riff-a-thon of an album, take note as Inflikted have placed themselves in good stead as the latest promising Stockholm export. Download This: "Tyger" - Click To Listen. For Fans of: Kreator, Tankard, Destruction [8] RHYS STEVENSON NOCTEM 'Exilium' ART GATES If there is one scene in Europe that generally gets overlooked it is Spain, sure with the likes of Avulsed, Dark Moor and Mägo de Oz amongst a few others leading the way for fellow countrymen like Noctem to follow, it still needs to be fully excavated and with their latest effort 'Exilium' now under Prosthetic Records' wing in terms of selling it in Australia and the USA, Noctem are really on highway 666. Blitzing drums drive this monstrosity to the frontier of insanity, whilst the riffs do the deeds of masticating your brain to a pulp and the vocals simply obliterate what is left you. Make no mistake about this, Noctem's 'Exilium' is not for the faint of heart and certainly not for anyone who dislikes Extreme Metal, in fact this album is far more extreme than a ghost chili-laden paella... explosive. Download This: "The Rising Horns" - Click to listen For Fans of: Behemoth, Gorguts, Watain [9] RHYS STEVENSON ASA-NOIR 'Fall Of The Idols' WORMHOLEDEATH Asa-noir are a tricky band to pigeonhole into a specific metal style, even if their lyric topics cover the works of Edgar Allen Poe & H.P. Lovecraft, this does not nowhere near help. In fact you may just as well call it 'Mythical Melodic Metal', as there features a lot of fantasy, darkness and obscure aspects, whilst the music itself adds an element of mysticism and magical feelings to the production of their long-awaited debut album 'Fall Of The Idols'. Marking their 10th anniversary in style, 'Fall Of The Idols' may have come too late to make the band's career groundbreaking, but it certainly is a welcomed sound to the dynamics of the Finnish metal scene. Keyboard elements lace the chunky riffs and powerful vocals together with an almost adventurous atmosphere. Fans of the Avant-Garde and Experimental Metal movements may indulge in this alongside the Melodic Death and Symphonic Metal lovers. Download This: "Hawthorns For The Jotunn's Harlot" - click to listen For Fans of: Shade Empire, Waltari, Fleshgod Apocalypse, The Devin Townsend Project [8] RHYS STEVENSON ANGERMAN 'No Tears For The Devil' WORMHOLEDEATH Angerman are possibly the best rock act to come out of Norway since A-ha stormed the charts with hits such as 'Take On Me' and 'The Living Daylights'. In fact it could be argued that they are bringing back to the front what we've all been missing: proper grunge-laden rock 'n' roll, their premier album 'No Tears For The Devil' spits out Jack Daniels and blown-out amps at every passing second, and with the attitude of Alice In Chains deeply grounded within the epicenter of the release, the periphereal sounds of Machine Head and Guns 'N' Roses can work their magic. With vocals that could easily wipe smiles off peoples faces, riffs so sharp that they are capable of cutting deep into your soul, and the fieriness of a hog-roasted drumkit boiling your brains dry, Angerman are running riot and are leaving a blazing trail behind them. Download This: "Ritual" - click to listen For Fans of: Machine Head, Alice In Chains, Guns 'N' Roses, Tool [9] RHYS STEVENSON IMMINENCE 'I' WE ARE TRIUMPHANT For those who are not familiar with the 'T-Symmetry' theory, Imminence musically have represented it. By wielding together the aggression and sound of an established band, with the beauty and desire to become the flag-bearer of Swedish Metalcore, Imminence have managed to conjure up a release that is guaranteed to send shock-waves across the globe, resulting in the Metalcore powerhouses of the USA, Australia and the UK sitting down, shutting up and paying homage to their Swedish brothers. By injecting a Post-Metal and Technical Hardcore approach to their already well-acknowledged Metalcore skeletal infrastructure, Imminence's 'I' automatically qualifies as more complex than an Ikea store, more towering than Zlatan Ibrahimovic and more powerful than a SAAB Gripen breaking the sound barrier. Make no mistake, this is a groundbreaking release and firmly places itself as a candidate for Swedish Metal album of the year. Download This: "86" - click to listen For Fans of: Periphery, Architects, Miss May I [9] RHYS STEVENSON CLANDESTINED 'Angel Despair' BUSDEATH It's probably been said before, but even so it will be said again. The Japanese metal scene gets highly overlooked, especially when you have bruisers such as Clandestined sending shockwaves across the Far East. Unleashing hell in the form of their fourth outing, the quartet take no prisoners when exercising their raw and gritty mix of pure Thrash Metal and Death Metal elements. You know, this would be a good soundtrack to a sake drinking game, just trying to mosh afterwards might not be such a good idea. Staying put in the classic 80's Thrash Metal era, Clandestined have once again delivered a fantastic release, so for once stop prying eyes on Babymetal and listen to True Japanese Metal, man this is some cranial-crushing stuff. Download This: "Angel Despair" - click to listen For Fans of: Slayer, Machine Head, Kreator [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON NEAR RUIN 'No End' If not executed right, Melodic Metalcore can turn out to become so watered down, it would make the ALS ice bucket challenge replace the monsoon season. What Near Ruin have done here is avoided that trap, and as a result conjured up a sound that lashes together the spikiness of Metallic Hardcore with dollops and dollops of melody.... oh and the occasional trickling of technical and post-hardcore elements. Their debut album 'No End' is sure catch the eye of not just the Metalcore addicts, but the labels as well as it has everything you would wish for from a Melodic Metalcore outfit. The salient point is that Near Ruin deliver a rally of face-punching, straight-to-the-point music, with plenty of oomph, power and none of that 'omg we r a metalcore band, we are so br000tal' poser attitude. Watch with interest, Near Ruin are going places. Download This: "Apostles & Heretics" - click here to listen For Fans of: Killswitch Engage, Miss May I, No Consequence [8] RHYS STEVENSON DOOMSDAY PROPHET 'Our Predetermined Fate' SALUTE To think that sole musician Satanic Tony plays in seven other bands and projects alongside Doomsday Prophet, as well as running his own label Salute Records, it is pretty safe to say that he is a busy guy. Doomsday Prophet is his Funeral Doom Metal child and has just released the debut album 'Our Predetermined Fate'. What we have here is the expected thick and slow guitar playing associated with the Doom Metal signature and the funeral influence playing upon the atmosphere and lyrics as a whole. Unlike most Doom Metal albums, this one does not feature any really lengthy tracks and thus positions itself in a different league, added to the fact the level of raw audacity adds to the already depressing feeling experience when indulging in this release, it's thick, it's bitter, it's Swedish, it's underground Funeral Doom Metal at it's very best. This could do well as a soundtrack to films like Psycho and The Shining. Download This: "Not Our Freedom, Where Is My Freedom" - Click to listen For Fans of: Funeral Doom Metal (any band) [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON WINTERCOLD 'We All Are Dead' SALUTE 2013 bore witness to another one of Satanic Tony's releases, this time via his Gothic / Doom Metal project Wintercold. The EP 'We All Are Dead' keeps that unique sound that has been developed alive and as a result has dealt justice once again. Make no mistake about it, 'We All Are Dead' is a decent enough release that does not over-complicate anything, not even the artwork. With the DIY production sound clearly evident, this release will appeal to the fans of true underground metal, as well as the Gothic / Doom Metal army. Limited to only 200 copies, this release is worthy of being in your collection and should be considered as a rare release, as for the music, well only you can be the judge of that. Download This: "We Are Robots" - Click to listen For Fans of: Gothic Doom Metal (any band) [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON RAINOVER
"Transcending The Blue & Drifting Into Rebirth" WORMHOLEDEATH Alongside the likes of Italy and Finland, Spain definitely has a huge love affair for Gothic Metal. The latest edition to the Spanish circuit being Rainover with their debut album "Transcending The Blue & Drifting Into Rebirth", from start to finish this quintet conjures up an elegant and appealing sonata of angelic vocals, powerful atmospherics, mind-blowing riffs and an overall release that may well position itself as a contender for Spanish Metal album of the year. Far from crying itself out as a release you would blast out all over the Spanish resorts like Benidorm, it certainly carries the warrant to start a party, getting down, getting wasted and having a good time, just go easy on the piña coladas and paella. Download This: "Rain Over My Tears" - Click to listen For Fans of: Tarja-era Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, Leaves' Eyes [8] RHYS STEVENSON
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HEAVEN'S SCUM 'It All Ends In Pain' Luxembourg is one of those countries that rarely gets looked at when regarding metal music, so when Death Metal mobsters Heaven's Scum arrive on the scene with their debut album 'It All Ends In Pain', the initial question is will this gain them attention outside The Benelux. Well it should do, with gritty and dirty vocals, rampant riffs and unforgiving drums producing a sound that would appeal to any Death Metal fan, this is an album that should catch the eye of a label or two. With an hours material at the helm, you will not get bored easily and nor will you switch it off, in fact by the end of the album you will realize that 'It All Ends In Pain'. Download This: "Mutality" For Fans of: Lamb of God, Unleashed, Machine Head [8] RHYS STEVENSON PURGAMENTUM 'Aschewelt' Underground Black Metal has to have a certain element to it to make it credible and worth the buzz in the pits of hell. Germany's Purgamentum are close but no cigar, their premier album 'Aschewelt' delivers what is expected of such a release but lacks that element of convincing. It has to strike emotion into the listener and it appears to be hard to find any trace of passive emotion. As the album title suggests it is in German and thus whilst anyone learning the language may find it useful, it unfortunately will remain within the German-speaking Countries. Overall it offers promise but at the same time questions the sincerity of the release. Download This: "Erntemond" For Fans of: "Underground Black Metal", "German Black Metal" [6] RHYS STEVENSON BLACKNETIC 'Hell & Fire - Demo 2014' The downside about DIY or low budget recordings is that the majority of them are low sounded and are of poor quality. Sadly Blacknetic's first demo 'Hell & Fire - Demo 2014' finds itself in that category, but that's not unexpected of a demo. The music itself takes elements of Heavy Metal and Thrash Metal and is meshed together to make a sound that would appeal to mostly anyone. Hampering down the release as said is the low quality of sound, not only that but even when turning the speakers up a few notches, there is a lack of seriousness and this really renders the demo a waste of time, of course the band would disagree but que sera sera. Download This: "Erratic Kingdom" For Fans of: "Anything below volume 3", "low sounds", "standard Heavy / Thrash" [6] RHYS STEVENSON DYER 'The Evolutionary Process' At times you just get bored hearing the same old coming out, sure bands say that they are original and create their own music, but half of the time that is a fabricated lie. Now whilst Dyer's EP 'The Evolutionary Process' may offer something fresh, it certainly is not completely new. Concocting a blend of Grooved up Thrash Metal, this Californian unit obviously missed the memo that said think outside the box, simply because this EP has 'standard writing' written over most of it. The irony is that it so bad it is that good, at times the vocals lack powerr, the riffs fail to come out of the strings and the drums are so standardized it would take someone like One Direction to come up with something much better, albeit "Fist-Print", being the only song that ticks all the boxes. Dyer may have had three years since their debut album but these were clearly wasted. Download This: "Fist-Print" For Fans of: Machine Head, Pantera, Annihilator [5] RHYS STEVENSON HYPERIAL 'Blood & Dust' BLACKTEAMMEDIA Black / Death Metal has just received a face lift, exposing the inside core of this rather hostile music genre. Entering the halls of the abyss is Polish quintet Hyperial with their second opus of Modern Extreme Metal, infusing together the riotous and unforgiving power of the Behemoth machine, with the Modern sounds and spine-chilling elements churned out by The Kovenant, Hyperial whip up a sound that is guaranteed to make you think twice about listening to 'that new album' by Polish veterans Behemoth. Whilst it may not be as heavy, what it lacks in heaviness it makes up for scintillating orchestrated pieces, from start to finish Hyperial unleash a barrage of hell that only the fans of Extreme Metal would get a boner over. 'Blood & Dust' could be a contender for Polish Metal album of the year. Download This: "Gehenna Upon His Feet" For Fans of: The Kovenant, Behemoth, Tristwood, Anaal Nathrakh [8] RHYS STEVENSON NECRONAUTICAL 'Black Sea Misanthropy' Now if Blackbeard had a favorite metal band, because of the aptness of the band name it would probably be English 'Nautical Metal' sea merchants Necronautical. But don't panic, they are not singing about sea shanty's, pirates, beer, or any other cliche topics, but rather the darkness of the seven seas. Their debut album 'Black Sea Misanthropy' is anchored deep in the Black Metal style and explodes in a vibrant array of captivating Death Metal, Folk Music elements and evident Black Metal rallying assaults. Although this could be an apt soundtrack to the film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl", it would be great if they carried on this 'dark side of the seven seas' theme. What this trio have served up here is an exciting promise of things to come, therefore watch this band closely with intent as they could well become Alestorm's darker self and your new favorite Black Metal band. Download This: "Pride In The Great Colossus" For Fans of: Alestorm, Carach Angren, Black Metal [9] RHYS STEVENSON CLAMUS 'III' The first question to ask is how is this EP called 'III' when there only appears to be two EP's released? The second question is are Clamus more Death Metal or Thrash Metal? And the final question is where do Clamus go on from here, because what they have delivered here is decent but it lacks that spark that would see them breaking out of the Brazilian Metal scene. Sure the drums are on full throttle, the riffs are exploding like dynamite on speed and the vocals are as brutal as a hangover at the World Cup, but this is nothing new and so lacks that element of convincing listeners whether Clamus had their blueprints laid out right for the second EP or they simply lit a joint and lost their imagination through getting high. One thing is for sure, the drums hold this EP up off the ground. Download This: "Nitro Blast" For Fans of: Sepultura, Slayer, Carcass [7] RHYS STEVENSON NAPALM STORM 'Harmless Cruelty' WORMHOLEDEATH Let's see if you can make it through Napalm Storm's debut album 'Harmless Cruelty' without actually falling asleep, this is just basic standard Thrash Metal and does not really feature anything spectacular about it. Even perhaps the most ardent Thrash Metal fans may go out for a fag or whip on Justin Bieber to alleviate their hearing from the torture experienced by this poor release. 'Harmless Cruelty' may well have been released one year after the band reformed, but with this effort time was clearly rushed and thus the album released lacks balls, or at least any convincing element that would otherwise dub the release 'decent', these Spanish lot have got a huge task on their hands to make a come back from this... Download This: "Slaves Of Divinity' For Fans of: Metallica, Slayer, Evile [4] RHYS STEVENSON SOVENGAR 'Vindicta Et Gloria' ART GATES Soverngar the Spanish Viking Metallers... yes you read that right 'Spanish Viking Metal', serves up their debut album to the masses with enough shields and swords to recreate the Helm's Deep scene in the film 'Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers', unfortunately the sound summoned is a beyond poor as the vocals are very naff. They sound far too forced for their own liking and this alone is the reason why 'Vindicta Et Gloria' is a hit-and-miss release, it seems too pushed in your face to really appreciate it. The riffs are too standard, in tow with the solo's that seem to be just whacked in without thought, the drums however give the release a glimmer of hope. The only major positive aspect the album actually has is that it exists, the riffs seem too uninspiring and the drums more repetitious than someone with a Obsessive-Compulsive disorder in repeating themselves, the minor positive aspect is that they gave it a go. Download This: "Fight Or Die" For Fans of: Tyr, Ensiferum, Skálmöld [4] RHYS STEVENSON BELGARATH
'Wanderer' Eastern Europe tends to have a huge love affair for the darker styles of metal, so therefore it comes as no surprise that arising from the back streets of Sofia is Bulgaria's newest Black Metal offering. Belgarath are a three-piece machine who have just unleashed catastrophic hell through their premier album 'Wanderer', an unrelenting charge of lightning-fast Black Metal courses throughout the entire album, leaving the listener gasping for blood as a result. Corroded riffs lead the battle charge through the storm that sits within the core of album, whilst the shrieking vocals boil your blood at the same time as the drums set the moody atmosphere, this is not a band to joke around with, they mean hell. 'Wanderer' may just prove to be Bulgarian Metal album of the year. Download This: "Dead End" For Fans of: Darkthrone, Immortal, Marduk [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON EVERGLOW 'Destination' Last year Belgian Power Metal sextet unveiled their premier album and with it comes an extremely well-presented sound. 'Destination' wields together some rather heavenly yet bellowing female vocals to blitzing drums and elegant riffs. Sure it has taken 13 years since the band's inception but the wait has been worthwhile, let's be honest here though - how many Power Metal bands do you know feature female vocals at the forefront? Probably not many, but as Cindy Baert's Everglow evidently show, you don't need to burst your lungs or introduce melodies such that swaying becomes almost uncontrollable and unrelenting oscillation. 'Destination' is an album of epic proportions and would appeal to most metal fans. Download This: "Frozen Tears" For Fans Of: Sonata Arctica, Delain, Edenbridge [8] RHYS STEVENSON INFERNAL OUTCRY 'Eclipsed' You'd have to either be stupidly drunk or high-on caffeine to actually understand what Infernal Outcry's debut demo 'Eclipsed' is all about, well the drumming is so uninspiring and the riffs are so simple it makes you question whether this was a practice session or they were legitimately aiming to release a well-crafted demo. The vocals are too forced and the whole feeling of the release is one of utter confusion, questioning what they were aiming to do. The only salvation point that the band can take from it, is that they managed to release a demo, let's just hope their second release is going to turn heads otherwise consider this a shot-in-the-foot moment. Download This: "Jaws Of Life" For Fans of: You tell us! [4.5] RHYS STEVENSON ONE MORE VICTIM 'Loyalty & Honour' Strutting out of the back streets of Liverpool is "Street Metal" mob One More Victim, hell actually it's a combination of bruising metal and gritty attitude. Laying down the law with their premier album 'Loyalty & Honour', the four-piece amass a sound that makes Wayne Rooney's post-match commentary seem like baby talk in comparison to the deliverance of this release. Damning as hell, you would want to take out life insurance to make it past the absolute concrete barrage of face-punching, ballsy metal One More Victim have served up here. Now whilst this may cause some listeners to reminisce a bit, through the intricate use of Groove Metal riffs and Ministry / Rammstein Industrial Metal elements, a DIY attitude and a bright future ahead, One More Victim are poised to make a buzz in the British Metal scene with this effort. Download This: "5 Days" For Fans of: Rammstein, Ministry, Pantera, Charles Bronson (if he was a musician) [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON LAPIS LAZULI 'Lost' 'Lost' marks the departure of Lapis Lazuli's third vocalist Frida Eurenius and welcomes in their new vocalist Cecilia Kamf. As for the Swedish Symphonic Power Metal outfit, Lapis Lazuli have not lost their trademark sound, that is their tasty mix of angelic vocals, cascading and ascending symphonies, smooth riffs and dramatic atmospherics. It could actually be said that Cecilia Kamf has vocals of the Tarja Turunen guild, that swan-like elegance in her voice caressing each note produced by her fellow band-members. This could be Lapis Lazuli's time to make a stand and go for a label deal, because this material certainly warrants a contract. Download This: "Forgive, Never Forget" For Fans of: Therion, Within Temptation, Tarja-era Nightwish [8] RHYS STEVENSON NECROBLATION 'Ablation Of Death' It might as well be ironic that a band using Christian lyrics amasses a sound so demonic that it would make Satan piss blood. Welcoming to the forefront of the Death Metal / Grindcore arena is Switzerland's Necroblation, whose 2013 debut album 'Ablation Of Death' features the brutality of an Alpine avalanche, but leaves the vocal clarity at times like the snow-dust from the subsequent avalanche. Sadly at times the album seems to run out of imagination and thus rests on the stereotypical Death Metal / Grindcore sound that seems to be generically churned out, despite this as said the vocals are the only major letdown, for you might as well just grunt in tune and hope for some lyrical inspiration to emerge from the almost-vacant clear-vocals. Consider it a learning curve. Download This: "Human Slave" For Fans of: Napalm Death, Dying Fetus, Mortification [6] RHYS STEVENSON EXCRUCIATION '[G]host' AURIC Unsigned bands who start and pause, split-up and reform over their entire career are often disinterred and re-emerge as a lost and forgotten relic, this may apply to the Swiss quintet Excruciation whose atmospheric mix of Doom Metal reverberates around the Matterhorn, so much so yodelling becomes a less-meaningful way of communicating a message. That message from Excruciation is one of human emotions, feelings and thus is felt with their third full length '[G]host'. Since their reemergence in 2005, you can tell that they have been buried down in a bunker mesmerizing over what their future sound will be like, possibly a lot different to the sound conjured up way back in 1985. As for their latest effort, it is a truly remarkable piece of work that solidly justifies this underground veteran's existence, you will never find another band quite like this. Download This: "Mother South" For Fans of: Saint Vitus, Candlemass, Hellhammer [8] RHYS STEVENSON HIJOS DE OVERÓN 'Prisionero De Agujas' Seven years down the line and Spanish Classic Heavy Metallers Hijos De Overón finally drop their debut album 'Prisionero De Agujas' (translates as: 'Prisoner Of Needles'), now whether satellites were involved or any form of help from the company Overon remains a question, but certainly their music is not questionable. Sticking to their mother tongue to deliver a release entirely sung in Spanish, you get the full flavor of where they come from, moreover the whole album is a masterpiece in it's own right as it sticks itself right within the realm of Iron Maiden, but wallows about to find it's own footing. Whether you like or dislike classic Heavy Metal, this album is a win for those willing to learn Spanish or indeed listen to a band that will go down well in Hispanophone countries. Download This: "Hijos De Overón" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Helloween [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON HYBRIS 'Blinded Thoughts' This is quite simply a stellar start for Polish quartet Hybris, the face-smacking power exhibited on their debut EP 'Blinded Thoughts' is enough to make Behemoth turn heads. With 19 minutes of pure eccentric and accentuated Technical Death / Thrash Metal, it is worth a solid listen and subsequential replay. However at times the music gets too creative to sustain anything worthwhile and at most lacks a respectable level of convincing execution. Smothering all of that is some rather gritty and dirty vocals, so dirty it makes any porno film seem like a chick flick. Moreover you might want to go to a doctor after headbanging and moshing to this leviathan-of-a-release, it is that powerful and with the right attitude, could provide the springboard for this band to break out of the Polish Metal scene. Download This: "Mystic Circle" For Fans of: Fleshgod Apocalypse, Legion Of The Damned, Vader [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON TOTENGEFLÜSTER 'Vom Seelensterben (Re Issue)' As far as Germany goes on the metal battlefront, the nation generally does well with it's Extreme Metal and Totengeflüster are no exception. Re-releasing their debut album Vom Seelensterben, the only thing that has notably changed is the bonus track, the rest of the album is the same occult Symphonic Black Metal the band has employed. Sickening shrieks make you quake in your shoes as the shivers and bitterness of death creeps down your spine, so much so you feel repugnant to even attempt to sing along to this murderous release. With a bleak atmosphere shrouding the raw feeling of the riffs and atomic drum power, Totengeflüster have staked their claim as one of Black Metal's bands to watch in 2014. Download This: "Ein Monolog Im Mondschein" For Fans of: Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Winterfylleth [8] RHYS STEVENSON GANGRENOMITY
'Demo 2014' Awh, you have got to admire the slamming Brutal Death Metal sound for what it is. No need to sing just gurgle away and make pig squeals, hell if you don't like this style of music, then there's always Justin Bieber and that will hurt your ears. Making their own style of noise is Swiss bruisers Gangrenomity whose 2014 demo spews out nothing but fairytale gore and peaceful murderous ideologies. From the bloody start to the infested finish, this demo covers everything you would want from that metal genre, just don't forget to brush your teeth after vomiting all your innards, because take note, this release is not for those with an unstable stomach, it will make you feel like you're about to puke. Welcome to the dark side of Swiss Metal. Download This: "Compulsive Murdering" For Fans of: Carnal Disfigurement, Aborted, 'Psychopathic Metal' [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON TROBAR 'Charivari' Folk Metal is a music genre that makes you want to just set up a campfire, dance around it and eat marshmallows and enjoy the wilderness. Well with that adventure, Trobar's debut album 'Charivari' certainly poises itself as the perfect accompaniment. Far from being the typical bouncy and jumpy Folk Metal release, 'Charivari' for starters is sung in the French language and thus sticks by their traditional Québécois heritage. Moreover it would appear they have drinking and generic Canadian references going on, but as far the music is concerned it really gets you dancing. Sure the band might not garner a massive amount of international recognition, but they will go down well within the Francophone metal scenes. Gritty vocals lead the line, whilst the drums set the pace, guitars give the music that sharp edge and naturally the hurdy-gurdy and flute give the music atmosphere. 'Charivari' addresses and represents what Québécois heritage is all about. Download This: "Le Sacrifice" For Fans of: Eluveitie, Finntroll, Heidevolk [8] RHYS STEVENSON EXPAIN 'Just The Tip' Hold on to your balls, for Expain could be positioned as Canada's next great metal export. Evidently going by their ferociously captivating debut album 'Just The Tip', the quintet slap together a masochistic mixture of blazing riffs, supersonic drumming, sexy solo's and vocals so brutal it would make your last hangover as weak as Justin Bieber banging one out. Come on they mix jazz elements, that surely has to receive numerous acknowledgements, but also through the various sounds and lyric topics employed, this album is a party on it's own. Let's be honest, 'Just The Tip' is a bloody good starting position for this troupe and as they mark their first year of existence, we could well see much more of this face-punching ensemble. Modern Hybrid Metal at it's finest. Download This: "Idol Worship" For Fans of: Slayer, Voivod, Strapping Young Lad, Communic [9] RHYS STEVENSON ERASE 'Erase' Erase deliver a no nonsense form of Heavy Metal that is found to be emanating from the deepest levels of the Parthenon, moreover when speaking of their debut EP, you cannot mistake it for a classic Heavy Metal release, because it is. Rampant and powerful drums lead the back-line, whilst the sizzling riffs cook up a sound that would make people plate smashing go weak at the knees. The vocals are of the classic Bruce Dickinson guild and when layered on top of the music, forms a release that is sure to appeal to many. At times there is evident influences from the Hard Rock sector in particular from bands like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, moreover their cover of Bitch's "Damnation Alley" goes done very well indeed. Erase are flying the flag high for the Greek Metal scene. Download This: "Damnation Alley (Bitch Cover)" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen [8] RHYS STEVENSON DAMNATÖR 'Unchain The Plague' We know there are fans out there who indulge in the far more raw, underground and unclean sound of Black Metal and indeed Blackened Thrash Metal for that matter, so when Finnish newbies Damnatör make their mark with their premier demo 'Unchain The Plague', the instantaneous feeling that arises from it is one of optimism and gratification. Because the recording is low-fi and thus hence gives it that authenticity as a true underground metal release. 'Unchain The Plague' spews out barbaric riffs surrounded by frost-bitten vocals and apocalyptic drumming, now if you thought Behexen were dark enough for Black Metal, Damnatör are not too far behind them. Download This: "Baptized In Profanity" For Fans of: Behexen, Deströyer 666, Beherit [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON EDENFALL 'Under Sultry Moons & Velvet Skies' RAVENHEART Gothic Doom Metal is an acquired taste, thus henceforth when listening to these types of bands it always helps to think along the lines of Black Sabbath and Paradise Lost. Even for English Metallers Edenfall, the ideology is still the same. Making their welcome return by unleashing their second release 'Under Sultry Moons & Velvet Skies' upon the masses, what the quintet do here is create a Doom Metal embodiment and coat it with Gothic Metal influences, such as the heavenly vocals and melodies. Topping out at a mammoth 77 minutes, you will certainly be spoiled for choice when it comes to listening to the album; with two 13 minute epics in tow, this is a release not to be dismissed. Edenfall are the new face of English Gothic Doom Metal, and they are here to stay. Download This: "Obsidian" For Fans of: Paradise Lost, Lacuna Coil, Black Sabbath [8] RHYS STEVENSON UNDERGROUND '2014 Demo' Fresh out of the Slovenian Metal scene, Heavy Metal bruisers Underground have arisen from the abyss to unleash all mighty hell via their first ever demo - simply entitled '2014 Demo'. What you have here is 13 minutes of Heavy Metal slapped together with influences drawn from the Speed Metal and Thrash Metal styles. Now if this band was to carry on with this style they've created, then they may well be landed with a record label deal within the next two years. For there demo shows a lot of promise and may well lead them to follow fellow-countrymen Negligence into breaking out into the European Metal scene. With an array of fluctuating riffs, flavored vocals and solid drumming, Underground are the new kids on the block. Download This: "Horrors of the Past" For Fans of: Judas Priest, Motorhead, Iron Maiden [8] RHYS STEVENSON CRIMSON DEATH 'Fleshdance' 7 HARD 2 years ago may seem a long while ago, but in terms of music it is a lot shorter than you would think. In 2012 Germany's gore fanatics Crimson Death unleashed their premier album 'Fleshdance' and what comes with it is 42 minutes worth of gore-gutted and gut-rotten Death Metal that would make any autopsy seem to become a sick and disturbed hobby. However the downside to the album is that at times the songs sound too generic Death Metal and thus lose any impetus generated from the preceding songs, but on an overall scope the landscape is bloody red, the senses murdered and the entire feeling of the album is worse than any Saw film. Crimson Death are not your average Death Metal band, they are your average Crimson Death Metal band. Download This: "Conscious Deception" For Fans of: Cannibal Corpse, Cerebral Bore, Debauchery [7] RHYS STEVENSON DARMAGE 'La Caída De Los Ídolos' If DevilDriver and Machine Head ever produced a baby, then Darmage would be the offspring. Because fusing Groove Metal and Thrash Metal together requires a level of precision that results in the deliverance of a full-smacking of raucous vocals, mauling riffs and ferocious brutality unleashed on the drums. Darmage's debut album "La Caída de los Ídolos" does exactly that, sure the release may cause an issue for those non-Spanish speakers, but the music does the talking and thus will appeal to anyone who loves their metal so hard and heavy, your latest orgy and dump will seem infantile in comparison to this release. Darmage are certainly set to rock the foundations of the Spanish Metal scene, and with their first album could well dominate South America as their ideal focal point. Download This: "Enemigos De La Reflexión" For Fans of: DevilDriver, Machine Head, Cavalera Conspiracy [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON THORN BURIAL 'Pleasured By Rage' For all their attempts at producing a release with sensational power and fury, Greece's Thorn Burial ultimately fail to come out of the starting blocks. Their 2014 EP 'Pleasured By Rage' aims to deliver a crushing Thrash Metal sound, the downside in the process of this is that whilst the riffs and drums do the killing justice, the vocals lack that tenacity that would make this release more credible, despite the irritation experienced through the unfortunate consistency of slowing down and picking up speed. Moreover this is done without any decent transition and thus leaves the listener questioning whether to head-bang and mosh or perform the paso doble and drink to this sorrowful attempt. Back to the drawing board it is. Download This (if you really want to...): "Sarcovore" For Fans of: Poorly-structured Thrash Metal. [4.5] RHYS STEVENSON THE FUROR
'Impending Revelation' Australia's veteran Blackened Death Metaller Louis Rando (Disaster) has summoned up once again another serving of war-torn maniacal hell via his fourth album 'Impending Revelation'. Impiety's drumming magician has done a superb job at carrying on this majestic project, with the enlisted help of Jarrod Curley, Mark De Vattimo, The General and Lynton Cessford, The Furor blasts out a rally-after-rally of war-torn metal. Sure at times the vocals get stripped away from the stickiness of the instruments, but this is what The Furor has always done, smouldering-hot riffs and solo's boil over the cloaked drums and raspy vocals, so much so what is left is a truly remarkable piece of musicianship. Here's to another 10 years of Australia's finest underground metal project, The Furor. Download This: "Black Sorcerer Of Sadism" For Fans of: Immortal, Suffocation, Impiety [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON 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 CHASING THE RISE 'The Dawn' There are some Metalcore bands that try so much fancy stuff that they over-complicate the sound, there are some Metalcore bands that are too basic in their ways that they end up as another boring 'we cannot be bothered band', Chasing The Rise are none of these. The Lithuanian Melodic Metalcore outfit emerge out of the sewers of Vilnius with guns blazing and a sound that is more brutal than your last hangover. Dropping their debut EP 'The Dawn' this year, this could be the sound that finally gives the Lithuanian Metal scene international attention. Menacing vocals guide the apocalyptic riffs through the technically melodic matrix that becomes built up by the complexity of the drumming, guitar playing and vocals all put together. Make no mistake, 'The Dawn' is the sound of the underground and Chasing The Rise are flying the flag for Lithuania. The onslaught has just begun.... Download This: "In Front of Everything" For Fans of: Tides of Virtue, Bullet For My Valentine, As I Lay Dying [8] RHYS STEVENSON MORN GURUTH 'Weltekel' TALHEIM It's always been a common thing amongst the German underground metal scene, that Black Metal bands roam so freely and yet so secret that they are barely detectable. One such example is Morn Guruth, a Depressive Black Metal duo hailing from Bavaria. Their debut album 'Weltekel' delivers such a bleak and raw atmosphere that would you need to be very sober to get the feeling for it. Sad to say the drums are not particularly impressive and need more work on, especially in speed to get that sincere feeling that the guitars seem to deliver well, as for the vocals, well, yeah. Total redevelopment is needed because whilst they are there, they are far from understandable and at times are seeming to be a little false or leaning towards random screaming, which compared to other DBM bands is hardly there. So whilst 'Weltekel' is a decent release and somewhat scores points in each area, it lacks that final touch. Download This: "Destrudo" [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON MIDNIGHT MESSIAH 'The Root Of All Evil' It's always grand to see modern day bands playing the classic sounds of hard rock and heavy metal in such epic glory, whilst adapting it to their own taste. This is how exactly London quintet Midnight Messiah have gone about things, it is highly detectable on their debut album 'The Root Of All Evil' which sheds a brilliant sound in all of the departments. Clean and powerful vocals lead the front-line of this modernised version of Iron Maiden, whilst the guitars and drums deliver that all important blow that leaves the album in good stead as being a must own release for all those who prefer the old style of rock and metal. Make no mistake about it, 'The Root Of All Evil' is an album that will please many fans alike and is sure to give this band some well-deserved attention. Download This: "The Evil One" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Van Halen, AC/DC The album is available online from the label website: www.coldtown.com priced at £7 GBP. [8] RHYS STEVENSON VORTECH 'Devoid Of Life' Modern Metal seems to have become a phenomenon in the metal music industry, bolting together the fluidity experienced in the electronic music crux with the brutality and manifestation of metal music. The latest band to embrace this cosmic wave of mass destruction is Finnish trio Vortech who layer Industrial influences with Death Metal to give a sound some would associate with bands like Fear Factory, this is best heard on their 2012 release 'Devoid Of Life' whereby the vocals and double bass drum set the speed and the riffs shred high voltage as if it was out of fashion. Don't instantly think it's ground breaking, it's far from that, but more closer to actually giving this band a major boost in the Euro Metal scene. Prepare for the techno-pit, a new form of moshing. Download This: "Grains of Reality" For Fans of: Fear Factory, Noein, The Amenta, Breach The Void [8] RHYS STEVENSON DOBLE ESFERA 'Mi Universo' Dropping their debut album last year is Spanish four-piece Doble Esfera (Double Sphere in English), their release 'Mi Universo' (My Universe in English) is another classic hard rock / heavy metal sound but naturally coming with the Spanish language. So do expect to hear a lot of Iberian influences coming in and out each song, amongst the tricky and magical riffs that serve up nicely whilst the drums provide the all important solid backdrop and the vocals weaving magic like thread through water. Sure it's nothing really special, but it certainly glimmers with charm and eccentricity, 'Mi Universo' will appeal to many fans of the classic sounds as well as those looking to learn Spanish. Download This: "Perdido En El Tiempo" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Zarpa [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON AWRIZIS 'Final Hybridation' Awrizis are a hard band to nail down in one genre, so consider their debut album 'Final Hybridation' a slapping of Groove Metal mixed with a lashing of Deathcore influences and a dollop of aggression. Fueled by an endless supply of adrenalin and incredible technical skill, the Czech quartet's album deals damage en masse, except the only problem is the chunkiness of the bass, it needs a cleaner presence as you can hear the twanging too easily. But for those who want to hear music from the furthest limits then Awrizis is for you, make no mistake about it given the said improvement being completed in the future we could see a new international band arising from the depths of the Czech abyss and delivering a punch into the faces of the posers of Europe. Download This: "We Are Gifts Of Hell" For Fans of: In Flames, Suicide Silence, Machine Head [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON INFECTED RAIN 'Asylum' On the international metal scene, Moldova is down in the pits with only a handful of metal bands breaking out of Moldova and only a few of those gaining attention, well the tide is going to turn with Infected Rain. Simply put this female-fronted quintet implore a new twist to the whole Nu Metal sound, via the use of angelic and gritty female vocals (think Within Temptation for the angelic vocals) as the main weapon, a plethora of menacing riffs and powerful drumming sequences, they are poised to smash the European scene with a shattering explosion, well when you listen to their 2011 release 'Asylum' you will be warped into a musical world previously experienced. Thunderous drums and crunchy riffs boost the vocals like a musical atomic bomb, it is only a moment of time before Infected Rain joins the leagues of Exilia, Disturbed and other fellow Nu Metal compatriots, Infected Rain are flying the flag for the Moldovan Metal scene. Download This: "My Morphine" For Fans of: Exilia, Disturbed, Within Temptation, Static-X [9] RHYS STEVENSON FROSTLAND DARKNESS 'Ad Moriendum Dei Gratia' INVERSE Returning valiantly to deliver the second album is Finnish musician Mantus Nord and his project Frostland Darkness. Hailing from Lapland, this Black Metal one-man project simmers the very foundation of said music genre and injects some bleak and bitter atmosphere into it. Finnish Black metal has always been a bit of a hit and miss, well it's always spewed and spat out against Norwegian Black Metal, but when you get musical escapades like Frostland Darkness producing eclectic music in such a way that it makes established Black Metal bands sound like a screamo version of the Backstreet Boys. If your into the raw sounds of true Black Metal and after that bitter feeling that corrupts your senses, then 'Ad Moriendum Dei Gratia' is an album for you. Frostland Darkness may be a not well known project, but it packs a sensational sound you cannot find elsewhere, no wonder Inverse Records signed them! Download This: "Tuhon Kirkkaudessa" For Fans of: Horna, Darkthrone, Mayhem [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON BEER BEAR 'Beyond The Invisible Line' (За Незримой Чертой) SOUND AGE PRODS. The master of all Russian beer breweries has returned with a barrel of folkloric tales, hops and fresh mountain air, I am of course referring to Folk Metal maestros Beer Bear and their 2012 album 'Beyond The Invisible Line' (За Незримой Чертой), the latest installment in their musical arsenal sees the band carry on the delinquent sounds established on their debut album and is guaranteed to please many people alike. Singing exclusively in their native language, Beer Bear have done it again, proved themselves to be worthy of being a nationally known Folk Metal band. As for their second outing, 'Beyond The Invisible Line' (За Незримой Чертой) is a pleasant enough album, just be wary that it is quick at changing speed and is hard to keep up to. Beer Bear are another one of Russia's gems that deserve much more attention than they are getting, Download This: "Folk-n-Roll" For Fans of: Korpiklaani, Arkona, Woodscream [8] RHYS STEVENSON SILENT KNIGHT
'Masterplan' Of course metal is meant to be eccentric, complex and downright dirty, it's just that Silent Knight nail two of those things, the third is nowhere to be found. A little hint, the guitars and drumming patterns on their debut album is complex, the vocals are downright dirty and the musical composition is eccentric and so what is missing? The whole package. Sure they have the elements clear on this album but it lacks connectivity and at times the solo's are far too flash, a little toning down in that department would work; an excellent solo resides on the song 'Masterplan' but not the first song 'The Curse Of The Black Rose', ok there may be some irony in this but that's metal. Whether you like it or not, 'Masterplan' is a classic power metal album, the old style of classic power metal that is, so don't expect any keyboard elements or anything special. Download This: "Prophets Of War" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Blind Guardian. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON CUERNOS DE CHIVO 'Exterminando A Dios' This could be the band and album that Spain has been waiting for to blast a hole in Europe with, the unrelenting force that Deathcore / Death Metal conquistadors Cuernos De Chivo exert on 'Exterminando A Dios' is enough to make the American mob sound pitiful. Crunching riffs and face-melting vocals will leave you pissing your pants as if you had a hangover after your post-hangover (if you catch my drift). 'Exterminando A Dios' is an essential album for those who love their Death Metal and or Deathcore as gritty as broken up tarmac, essentially an album that speaks a thousand words, but only one one sounds out above the rest, 'extraordinary'. What will the Spanish lot conjure up next is anyone's guess, but it's bound to be brutal. Download This: "La Mano De Dios" For Fans of: Heaven Shall Burn, Buried In Verona, Job For A Cowboy [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON VOXRA 'The Forgotten Hope That None Of Us Have...' Now the question is when will there be a release that features barely any music on it, oh wait. Yes, 'The Forgotten Hope That None Of Us Have...' by Voxra is exactly that. Supposedly it is a one man project that dips into the sounds of dark ambiance, depressive black metal and drone metal. Yeah right, perhaps the studio was shut or something, or the man behind it forgot his notes, because this release isn't even worth entertaining, seriously who would buy a release if no sound or virtually limited sound was on it? You might as well and try to rent air just for amusement. [1] RHYS STEVENSON SEAMOUNT 'Earthmother' Coming from Bavaria one would of thought Seamount's music would be as heavy as the stein's of beer that are delivered at Oktoberfest, but one was wrong. Germany's four piece Heavy Doom lords immerse the atmosphere on a joyous and less depressing sound that you would first expect given their lyrics pertain to paganism as a starting point, but as said they are far from depressing - but they do have that lovely thick bass sound going on. Sure the music on their fourth album 'Earthmother' is nothing new, it still warrants recognition as a decent enough release to garner attention across the continent. A definite must for anyone who loves Black Sabbath. Download This: "Aphrodites Child" For Fans of: Black Sabbath, Huntress [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON ENGRAVED 'Days We Dread' Engraved's 2012 demo is far better than previous releases without doubt, there is a lot more melody expressed in each song and at the same time more brutal vocals, this combined makes the demo much more like epic metal as the seconds tick by. 'Days We Dread' features the melodies exerted by fellow countrymen Scar Symmetry and the vocals of Marionette. But, Engraved play this there way and whilst they are not conventionally known outside of Sweden as such, they ought to be. If their demo 'Days We Dread' is a sign of what their debut album is going to be like, then I for sure will be wanting to hear it, the storm has begun... Download This: "Moments" For Fans of: Scar Symmetry, Marionette, The Unguided, early Sonic Syndicate [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON ZEPHYRA 'Kämpaglöd' Delivering their second EP is Sweden's furiously heavy Zephyra, their latest offering 'Kämpaglöd' delivers extremely bizarre vocals for their music choice, it is almost as if they had layered Black Metal vocals on a Heavy Metal foundation as the vocals are far from being classic Heavy Metal. 'Kämpaglöd' is one of those releases that is nothing special, yet it has something different to it, that classic irony of it being a common rarity. But what makes it like that is not so much the lesser quality of the recordings but more so the brutality pursued through the vocals and even more so the fact that the vocalist is married to the guitarist, whether this has an impact on the ferocity of the release is another question, but boy does 'Kämpaglöd' pack a solemn punch. Download This: "Route 611" [7] RHYS STEVENSON CHOSEN 'Resolution' What I want to know is why these guys are not signed? What on earth are the record labels thinking! Enter Irish Melodic Death Metal duo Chosen with their debut album 'Resolution', how apt the album title is given the amount of times the band has crossed the Atlantic to and from Canada. 'Resolution' itself conjures up that classic sound you would want to hear from a Melodic Death Metal album, gallant melodies push the musical elements to the limits as the guitars and vocals take charge of what could be Irish Metal album of the year. This is far beyond the megalithic Gothenburg sound that seems to dominate the metal waves, no.. 'Resolution' is in a league of its own and with Chosen now firmly set on terra firma once again, eyes will be turning once again to Ireland. Download This: "Mental Clarity" [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON KROWNN 'Hyborian Age' It is clear instantly that Italian Doom trio Krownn know their stuff, their premier demo 'Hyborian Age' which is released in a limited number of 200, features six tracks averaging out at six minutes long each, but never mind that because the music does the talking through thick guitar riffs and a rather bizarre fantasy feel to the music, which is funny since the bog standard doom metal release is meant to deal with depression, impending doom, and the like. There again, if you listen to 'Hyborian Age' closely you can notice a number of influences weaving in and out of the low-sound production. It's a decent enough start and is sure to get this band attention from the major metal music media, but for now they are a Italian gem, waiting to be discovered. Download This: "For The Throne Of Fire" For Fans of: Ghost, Black Sabbath, Cathedral, Candlemass [8] RHYS STEVENSON FORTID 'Pagan Prophecies' SCHWARZDORN Well to say the very least one is a little disappointed by Fortid's fourth album, not only have they depleted in the extreme music sound they are capable of producing, but the songs sound too much a like. 'Pagan Prophecies' is the Icelanders fourth outing and whilst it is the latest album released after their Voluspa trilogy, it is nowhere near as grandeur as their past efforts. But given credit it is a worthy attempt at carrying on their fabled music, 'Pagan Prophecies' is not entirely a slip-up but it is not in the same ball park as previous works that the band has duly done, sure it features a decent onslaught of Black / Viking Metal, but for the band to continue their previous success they will need to work much harder. Download This: "Sun Turns Black" For Fans of: Månegarm, Windir [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON AUTUMN OF AEONS 'Festival Of The Flesh' American four-piece Autumn Of Aeons take no hostages when delivering their latest offering 'Festival Of The Flesh', what can only be described as a delicate mix of gothic imagery, operatic and dramatic rock / metal, think along the lines of Masters of Dark Fire and Bauhaus meeting Therion and Nightwish, you get the idea. 'Festival Of The Flesh' features a plethora of songs that feature booming male and female vocals that take back operatic rock and metal back to its roots. 'Festival Of The Flesh' is sure to capture a lot of peoples attention, it's a shame that 'Festival Of The Flesh' is not an international release because I am sure the German market would love this music! Autumn of Aeons are a band that should be watched closely. Download This: "Midnight Masquerade" For Fans of: Bauhaus, Therion, Type O Negative, Nightwish [8] RHYS STEVENSON GRASSITY
'Genocide' Slamming old school Death Metal coming all the way from Slovakia, Grassity is a force to be reckoned with as the quintet shred bullets in making their premier EP 'Genocide', featuring the classic elements you would find from early bands like Napalm Death and the like, Grassity does all of that and much, much more. 'Genocide' will smash your skull in until you snort your last breath, it is a soul-crushing piece of musical wizardry that will surely get this lot the well deserved attention they need. Four tracks of unrelenting brutality explodes without any remorse and will take you alive, so you better be ready because this lot will put your favorite bands in their place. Download This: "Primitive" For Fans of: Napalm Death, Six Feet Under, Obituary [8] RHYS STEVENSON OMAAF 'Ethnospheric Decay' Well this is rather different, mixing Progressive Metal elements with the sheer brutal force found within the Grindcore music vein, that is is exactly what OMAAF (Of Men and Angel's Flesh) has done on their debut 2012 EP 'Ethnospheric Decay', complex and tight riffs align the rest of the music to follow in scintillating fashion, in the end it's effectively djent grind - maybe a pioneering crossover genre? What 'Ethnospheric Decay' features is a 20 minute mauling of some of the craziest extreme metal you would find from the American plains of Alabama, it's so brutal even the tornadoes would be scared to touch down anywhere near the streets of where this band comes from. Download This: "Architecture" [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON ENRAGER 'Will Kill' Emerging from the windswept lands of Catalonia, Spain, is quintet Enrager with their premier EP 'Will Kill' which was released last year and comes as another exciting release from this autonomous province. What you have hear is the general sound of the Heavy Metal infrastructure but of course with Mediterranean influences and this can be heard in the guitar solo's, especially on 'Freedom Winds', sadly the solo seems a little too long but for those who love solo's, then this is one to check out. If you like bands like Iron Maiden then you will be bound to love and enjoy 'Will Kill', songs like Kings Of Road can be likened to '2 Minutes To Midnight' and so therefore this release is a modern example that old school metal is not dying. Download This: "Kings Of Road" [7] RHYS STEVENSON MINORITY SOUND 'The Explorer' METALGATE Czech Electro-Industrial outfit Minority Sound make their welcomed return with their second album 'The Explorer', featuring more of their technically challenging cyber metal and more of their complex rhythms in tow. 'The Explorer' carries forward their signature sound once again influenced by and compared to the likes of Gothminister and Breach The Void; as Minority Sound now seem to have divulged into a more modern metal approach and included harsh vocals that would resonate from bands like Mnemic. It is notably heavier than their previous effort 'Analysis' and as 'The Explorer' sounds off across the European continent, the feeling that this band will explode further afield and become one of the Czech Republic's next greatest exports is vastly becoming a reality. With their synthesizer back drops and carnage-like production, Minority Sound has developed the Majority Sound. Download This: "Binary Child" [8] RHYS STEVENSON TWO NECK NOOSE 'Two Neck Noose' There is a subtle sound of sensational music being emitted from Michigan and it spells death. Two Neck Noose are a Groove / Thrash mob with enough balls to make a Superbowl look like a state fair, seriously this music has enough grit to smash everyone's face in tenfold and that comes from their excruciatingly painful debut self-titled EP, lashing together the groove elements of DevilDriver and Lamb of God with the epochal elevation of mesmerizing Thrash Metal in the brutal kind. This is a band that will make waves in the times ahead and are sure to garner some attention from both sides of the Atlantic with their atomic bomb of insane metal music. Download This: "Cyclical" [9] RHYS STEVENSON O.H. 'Justice' One might need brain surgery after dissecting the debut album by Bulgarian masochistic metallers O.H., their album 'Justice' is a totalitarian blast of fist-punching metal that takes the form of Groove / Death / Thrash Metal, effectively a cocktail for some rather nasty and grueling sounds that would scare anyone to death. Technical at many parts of each song and then that is followed up by segments of tantalizing brutality, somewhat not unlike Slipknot at some points ('psychosocial can be compared to O.H.'s song 'For Life' for example), but on the other hand far from Slipknot, it is one of those albums that has everything but the kitchen sink thrown in and so what you end up with is a furious piece of musicianship that is sure to boost this band's popularity. Download This: "For Life" [8] RHYS STEVENSON AZOEMIA 'Forced To Devour' What is this music, no seriously what is this thing called music? It is practically a Death Metal instrumental, the vocals are an abomination and frankly do not even reach a decent level. The music itself is a brutal cast iron ingot that resembles the solidarity of the production, but the vocals, well you would find Justin Bieber singing much better than this. It is a shame to say but Azoemia's 'Forced To Devour' is one nothing special and two a sheer shock to the Spanish metal scene, if this lot are to get anywhere in future they must work on the vocals, otherwise they will become a disappointment in the international metal scene. Death Metal you're at least meant to hear some of the words, all one can hear is muffled microphone. [4.5] RHYS STEVENSON ANIME TORMENT 'Deathwish' CECEK No doubt this band is sick, Czech Death Metal warriors Anime Torment made their explosive start heard all around as they dropped their debut album 'Deathwish' last year. Full of the magic stuff one would expect of a Death Metal band, this is a sheer force of brutality that cannot be ignored easily. Frenzy drumming is just the start of it as the riffs role off the production line like no tomorrow and the vocals deliver that almighty blast that no atomic bomb could equate to. Simply put, Anime Torment are sure to conquer Europe in the times ahead and with number one firmly under their belt, number two should be as easy as pie for the five-piece. The question is, will this lot finally push the Czech Metal scene even more forward than the older bands? Download This: "Lovers" [8] RHYS STEVENSON SYRUS 'E-Race-D' This is a post-humorous review seeing as Syrus split up this year. 2012 was the last year of releases by the Austrian Thrashers and their last release was their second demo 'E-Race-D', basically it's a generic Thrash metal album with nothing too special about it. it does what it was designed to do and that was create a musical atmosphere for fans to wreak havoc in, but also what 'E-Race-D' does is it offers an insight into the band's short lived history. Perhaps they should have called it 'Erased' instead, for the obvious reasons stated. [5.5] RHYS STEVENSON TATIANA'S NIOVI 'Breath Of Light' RAVENHEART MUSIC Making her welcomed return with her band is Greek singer and musical maestro Tatiana Manolidou of whom has dropped the latest release from which contains the band's newest works, entitled 'Breath Of Light' this symphonic melodic journey twists and turns at every corner as the album winds its way through the angelic heavens of Tatiana's vocals and the sensational dramatics experienced from the outburst of delinquent music. Much like Tarja Turunen, Tatiana Manolidou carves through the night with a piercing display of powerful rock / metal ballads and sensational music, given Greece is going through tough economical times, this is a soundtrack that would lighten up anyone's mood, regardless if they like metal or rock music, or not. Download This: "Ring Of Darkness" [8] RHYS STEVENSON EFFLORESCE
'Shades Of Fate' + 'Coma Ghosts' INDEPENDENT / GENERATION PROG Take a step back in time to 2009 and the first release by Bavarian Progressive Metallers Effloresce had taken shape, this is the EP 'Shades Of Fate' and it totals out at 30 minutes with around 10 minutes a song so for those who love their metal to take them on a lengthy adventurous journey, this instantly is one for you. You know if you had to make a long car or train journey this EP may as well cover most of it, simply not only due to the length of the songs but more so the fact you have the urge to replay them, they are that good. Sumptuous female vocals take the EP to greater heights whilst the music itself provides a solid background for the listener to enjoy. Overall a solid start to the band's career and the next release, which coincidentally was released last year is their debut album entitled 'Coma Ghosts'. 'Coma Ghosts' is in essence a doubled version of the 'Shades Of Fate' EP whereby there are now six songs and on average just below 10 minutes each, so again another essential to listen to on long journeys. What makes this album more impressive than the EP is the greater assertiveness in their music, for example the vocals are more sharper, the music is more direct with a greater sense of ebb and flo and overall the entire release is an emphatic journey through the complex minds of these German musicians, sure the band have now found their signature style, the only downside is that some fans may be a little put off by the song lengths, however for those that wait the time waiting is well worth it, simply put if this band does not get major international attention within the next year or so I will eat my speakers. Download These: "Sear" + "Crib" [7] + [8.5] 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 |
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