 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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 END OF AN ERA 'PACT Zollverein Live' How brilliant is it to think that a band releases a live album before an official studio-release? Well that's exactly what Germany's End Of An Area have done. This Symphonic Metal ensemble set the bar high for their next round as this release is of what is expected from an underground unsigned band, a home-but-good quality release. Sure it does not really deliver that all important and crucial aspect, the atmospheric feeling of actually feeling what it was like to be there, but it does it's best to deliver what listeners can expect from the studio albums. Sadly at times the vocals sound too forced and thus really drag the music down - the guitars seem very quiet, quieter than the drums and so thus can leave the listener questioning what is going on. Download This: "Angel's Spring" For Fans of: "German Symphonic Metal", "Underground live albums" [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON  KAINE 'The Waystone' Essex Heavy Metallers Kaine make their welcomed return with their second album 'The Waystone', once again firmly rooting themselves deeply entrenched in the classic NWOBHM sound, despite the artwork giving whiffs of either Doom Metal or Folk Metal. There again the song 'entropy (unrelenting chaos)' may as well take Folk Metal elements on the riffs and drums in sync. What makes this release that little bit special is simply the evident intricacies employed on each song and as each song rallies through the speakers, the overall impression is one of gratification in as far as it seems Kaine have finally found the sound they have been begging for ever since their inception, oh and Rage has kissed goodbye to the gruff vocals.... play it again Sam. Download This: "Dreams To Nightmare" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest, Motorhead [8] RHYS STEVENSON  CRUX 'Elapse With The Relapse' WINDMILL Fresh from their lengthy hiatus of around 15-20 years, South Korea's Crux may well be one of the old guard, but their music is as fresh as the morning dew. Delivering their first ever album may be a daunting experience, but 'Elapse With The Relapse' glimmers bright with the sounds of some rather epic Symphonic Power Metal, with elements of Progressive Metal in tow. Powering through the songs like a Formula 1 car being injected with Nitrous Oxide, Crux are a right gem in this Far East Asian Metal scene. Utilizing sensational solo's to blast any posers off their seats, ballistic drums that shake the ground and vocals so powerful it would make any pop music fan's ears bleed from the pain, Crux are one band to celebrate, 'Elapse With The Relapse' to cherish and of course acknowledge that they are flying the flag for the South Korean Metal scene. Download This: "Itch For The Cure" For Fans of: Sonata Arctica, Dream Theater, Iron Maiden [8] RHYS STEVENSON  DUNKELNACHT 'Revelatio' WORMHOLEDEATH Finally a Black Metal band who doesn't serve up absolute drivel, one that does not produce such crap that it makes you want to cry. Blasting out their second serving is France's Dunkelnacht, 'Revelatio' adorns much of the fury and aggressiveness you would want from a Black Metal album without it sounding too false or too soft (yes that does really exist). There is even a point where the band flits between English and French, more of the former and less of the latter, but besides that what Dunkelnacht have concocted is an album that would make the most ardent supporter of Black Metal weak at the knees. If you thought the French metal scene was only capable of producing the likes of Gojira, The Algorithm and Blut Aus Nord, think again, Dunkelnacht are here to prove a point. Download This: "Le Serment Des Hypocrites" For Fans of: Blut Aus Nord, Averse Sefira, Winterfylleth [8] RHYS STEVENSON  SONIC SYNDICATE 'Sonic Syndicate' NUCLEAR BLAST They are back and darker than ever, Sweden's beloved outfit Sonic Syndicate unleash a rally of Modern Metal hell through their recently released self-titled album. Firmly rooting themselves in the Alternative Metal, Metalcore and Melodic Death Metal arenas, this is without a doubt the best album they have ever done. If you ever had doubts about them when 'We Rule The Night' came out, cast aside them now because this album eclipses that in the Biggs-era. Fuel-injected riffs cut deep into you so much that you begin to bleed from the outside in, that coupled with vocals more brutal than your last hangover and drums so powerful that any atomic explosion becomes reduced to a grenade detonation, results in what could be billed as possibly Swedish Metal album of the year. This time Sonic Syndicate have really delivered a sonic blast. Download This: "Before You Finally Break" For Fans of: Motionless In White, Soilwork, Raunchy [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  NORIKUM 'Regress In Progress' Norikum may just become your new favorite Austrian Metal band. Smashing through the barriers with an almighty eruption of gun-blazing Melodic Death / Thrash Metal, this is a sound that is sure to ignite the gunpowder and warrant a label signing. 'Regress In Progress' is the debut album by this monstrous machine and what comes with it is an onslaught of tight-ass riffs, face-punching vocals and ballistic drum sequences. Finely tuning a brutal slab of "Modern Hybrid Metal", Norikum have certainly set the bar for times ahead and with this effort are guaranteed to turn heads worldwide. Imagine if Machine Head and Soilwork had sex and gave birth, this would be the offspring. Make no mistake about this, you have no reason to not check them out, they will blow your tits off. Download This: "I, The System" For Fans of: Machine Head, Soilwork, The Haunted [8] RHYS STEVENSON  EVILENCE 'Essence Of Life' It must be something in the water because this year Poland has been producing some sensational music and Evilence's debut album 'Essence Of Life' is no exception. Employing the Melodic Death / Thrash metal sound, the quintet quickly muster a decent enough release that deserves attention. The only downside is that pretty much after the first track, the album loses it's sense of built-up excitement and soon enough falls into a pretty standard release. That is until you hit halfway and the savage intent picks up again, so consider this album a 50/50 release i.e. some songs are for this type of fan and the other songs are for another type of fan, however casting that aside this is definitely a good starting point for the lads. Download This: "Edge Of Life" For Fans of: The Defiled, The Haunted, Sapiency [7] RHYS STEVENSON  IN HUMAN 'Promo 2013' Last year Finland's In Human made their first step into the music world with their promo EP, wielding an apocalyptic style of Melodic Death Metal right at the core, this five-piece armada demonstrate here a sound that deserves a lot of attention. Now let's think about this, since the Melodic Death Metal scene is rather overun by bands who sound similar, there are very few bands that you could possibly liken In Human to, besides possibly Scar Symmetry. Three songs totaling 13 minutes is what is served up and on the sides comes a sumptuous and erotic mix of funk, groove, melodies and the nitty gritty of metal music in it's prime. This is a decent release that holds promise for the future, whether that promise is fulfilled or not remains to be seen. Download This: "Hysteresis" For Fans of: Scar Symmetry, Wintersun, Deals Death [8] RHYS STEVENSON  SPIRITUS DIABOLI 'Spiritus Diaboli' Female Black Metal vocals may as well be considered a rarity, so when Spiritus Diaboli emerge on the Brazilian Metal scene, they drag with them a unique level of anticipation. Their debut self-titled album really captures the essence of true underground Black Metal, with a sound so raw it would make Varg Vikernes wet himself, leading the brigade is 17 year old L. Scarlet, alongside her are four other teenage metalheads of whom all weave their elements into this release very well. Make no mistake this is an album positioned towards the BM fans who love their music as black as death, grim as homicide and bitter as black coffee. It is early days for this group, but they are sure to make a name for themselves in the next few years. Download This: "Curse Of The Widow" For Fans of: Watain, Rotting Christ, Dissection [8] RHYS STEVENSON  NONSERVIAM
'A Spectral Ascension' Following hot off the heels of their premier EP, uprising Melodic Death Metal outfit NonserviaM concoct another excellent slab of monstrosity, melody and total brutal carnage. Their debut album 'A Spectral Ascension' exhibits a tighter, grizzlier and irresistible sound that gently and harshly caresses the listeners senses simultaneously. It is clear that there has been progression since "Ordinance Of Reason", such as the vocals periodically having an echo effect built in to give that added level of dramatics and the vocal range expanding as well, as for the guitars and drums, well they simply have gotten heavier, more direct and more synchronized. This could be NonserviaM's time to exploded out of the Malaysian Metal scene Download This: "Amongst The Scorned" For Fans of: Deals Death, Preternatural, Sight Of Emptiness [8.5] 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  PERCEPTION OF DARKNESS 'Tyranny' Sweden's Perception Of Darkness go down the Rammstein route with their latest effort 'Tyranny', this is notable with the riffs on the song 'Shutdown', the song has strong links with the song 'Du Hast'. Pushing that aside and you are left with a much-improved sound by the trio, one that they can claim as their own unique style. However at times the industrial music side seems to drop off too much, leaving some songs with very little presence and just a basic metal sound. However on the song 'Destroy', the vocal effects really add a strange feeling to the mix and thus this ought to be used more than it has been, something they may do for their next effort. Download This: 'Destroy' For Fans of: Rammstein, Fear Factory, Ministry [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  KREMATED 'Three Minute Warning' Kremated serve up what you would expect from a Thrash Metal album: speed, power and brutality, their second opus 'Three Minute Warning' digs deep into the gravel and sprays out dirt out in all directions. As Pete Dee leads the ferocious storm with his vicious vocals, following in behind are some rather sizzling riffs and blazing drumming sequences, not to mention the whole attitude of 'Thrash ain't dead' stamped across this album in similar fashion to that of the 'wide load' tattoo spread over The Nutty Professor's ass. Make no mistake about it, Kremated have certainly upped their game since the release of their debut album two years ago and demonstrates a lot more promise for times ahead. It seems that their Bloodstock stint injected some fresh impetus into their music craftsmanship and this is clearly evident on 'Three Minute Warning', just remember to get your neck insured because this is guaranteed to give you whiplash. Download This: "Until The End" For Fans of: Slayer, Sodom, Pantera [8] RHYS STEVENSON  THE HOURGLASS 'Through Darkness & Light' From what could be argued as Tarja-era Nightwish meeting Gothminister and Deathstars, Romania's The Hourglass have set out the blueprints to create a music style all of their own. Through molding together the classics of Symphonic Metal with crystal clear Industrial elements and a host of Gothic aesthetics topping the emphatic sound created here, their premier album 'Through Darkness & Light' is bound to turn heads across the world. With a fan-base that is endlessly growing and an album that is sure to appeal to metal fans worldwide, big things are destined for The Hourglass as they craft their illuminating atmosphere into a musical work of art and stake their claim as the "Electro-phonic Metal" juggernaut the world has been waiting for. Download This: "Dare" For Fans of: Therion, Nightwish, Gothminister, Deathstars [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  BLINDER 'Hegemonic Cult' We're not sure, but we think that Blinder might have just snatched Cuban Metal album of the year, and why? Well, for starters the emphatic brain-smashing that takes place throughout their latest release 'Hegemonic Cult' is enough to make the toughest of tyrants weak at the knees. Mauling Death / Thrash Metal courses through this album's veins with unrelenting power and a sound that will leave anyone who listens, left for dead. Now, whilst the blitzing mainly resides within the lyrics, the need to be voracious in terms of digesting the music is ultimately relieved through the majestic combination of savage riffs, machine-gun fire drums and of course heart-shredding vocals, with that in mind you be assured that Blinder are flying the flag for the Cuban Metal scene, shiver me timbers. Download This: Final Proclamation Of War For Fans of: Archaios, Pantera, Carnal Forge [8] RHYS STEVENSON  DARKNESS BY OATH 'Seeds Of Desolation' ERZSEBET RECORDS The Basque Country does not tend to get much of a look in by the rest of Europe, but when you unearth the metal scene and find out that over twelve years and four albums released, you can tell that Darkness By Oath were and still are very dedicated to making everything 100% perfect. Unleashing hell through their fourth album 'Seeds Of Desolation', the quintet amass the sheer beauty and class of the Melodic Death Metal genre and infuse it with a brutal atmosphere and songs that give this band that identity they have created themselves. Such a release is sure to garner attention out of Spain and possibly across the seven seas, as for this living armada, the inevitable has come and so Darkness By Oath are flying the flag high for the Basque Metal scene. Diskoa besterik paregabe da. Download This: "Screams That Walk With You" For Fans of: Scar Symmetry, Sight of Emptiness, In Flames [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  THE FALLACY 'Love Division' It's not all that often that you come across Gothic Metal from Chile, in fact it comes as a surprise that there is a deviation from the well established Death Metal scene. Entering the affray is The Fallacy, a three-piece who released their third album 'Love Division' back in 2012. What you have here is the deep and masculine vocals in the form of Ville Valo being met with the elegant and feminine vocals of Cristina Scabbia, whilst the guitars and drums deal the final blow to what makes a Gothic Metal album, exactly that. Using the words of the band, it is a Fallacy that only Spain and Italy can pull of this style of metal, in fact The Fallacy have delivered such a brilliant album, you'd be a fool not to check it out. Download This: "Drops Of Fire" For Fans of: Lacuna Coil, H.I.M., Fields Of The Nephilim [8] RHYS STEVENSON  CORNERS OF SANCTUARY 'Epilogue' MARCH BABY MEDIA Classic Hard Rock / Heavy Metal mob Corners Of Sanctuary dealt justice when releasing their third EP entitled 'Epilogue', with seven tracks of majestic riffs, bellowing vocals and powerful drums coursing throughout the EP, it is without a doubt that the trio have thought this one through very well. To some it might not seem any different to any other Classic Rock / Metal band, but through closer inspection you will notice that they have their own formulated sound. Even when you have the song "Aqua Luminoza" which was backed by Spanish vocals conducted by Lorenzo Partida, this release has everything going for the band except they need to eek out that one song that sets the world alight per se Iron Maiden's 'Fear of the Dark'. Download This: "Bleed With Me" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Metallica, Motorhead [7] RHYS STEVENSON  PABLO BAPTISTA 'Consummatum Est' What does Ill Nino, Orphaned Land and ChthoniC have in common? They all took traditional music from their country and mixed it with various metal forms. Now the attention turns towards Pablo Baptista, a three-piece Nu / Alternative Metal band from Mozambique, who released their debut album 'Consummatum Est'. By mixing together the aforementioned metal genres and traditional Mozambican music, this could spark a new wave for this African nation. With the vocals wallowing in the style of Corey Taylor and music that breathes out100% uniqueness, there is a lot of hope for Pablo Baptista to break out of their national scene and across Planet Metal. Nu Metal just got a new reason to exist. Download This: "Forgive Me" For Fans of: Slipknot, Ill Nino, Seether, Stone Sour [9] RHYS STEVENSON  BEFORE THE BLACK GATES 'An Ancient Evil Rises' Despite the evident reference to the Lord of The Rings scene "The Black Gates Of Mordor", Canada's Black Metal five-piece (were a six-piece) Before The Black Gates held no fury back upon dropping their debut album 'An Ancient Evil Rises'. Now if syrup was not sweet enough, then this band certainly tops that by making a delicious 'pancake noir' full of grimace, darkness and utmost devastation that delivers barbaric blows to the body. 'An Ancient Evil Rises' is an apocalyptic album that sheds out shrapnel at every passing second and forces the listener to succumb to it's powerful presence. This is probably why this quintet ought to be sniffed out by their European contingent. This album promises big things for this band in the future, watch them closely with interest. Download This: "Blood Oak" For Fans of: Marduk, Dark Funeral, Immortal [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS
'Jamat-Al-Maut' SALUTE Mixing short bursts of Grindcore with Death Metal vocals and injecting some Hardcore Punk elements, Pakistan's Multinational Corporations do not welcome any form of mercy towards their music, that is, this music is not for anyone who listens to soft metal music. Since their debut demo 'Equality' in 2011, the duo have certainly upped their game and have produced a much more meaningful release. 'Jamat-Al-Maut' comes as the band's premier EP and whilst the EP delivers some rather assertive Death / Grind, the shortness in the release drags it down, you would expect a much longer release. Question is whether the computer space over there would have taken it, after all metal music in Pakistan is too far and few between. Whether the European metalheads roam outside of their safety zone and explore this band is another question. Download This: "White Collar Communism" For Fans of: Rotten Sound, Napalm Death, Terrorizer [8] RHYS STEVENSON  INSAIN 'Enlightening The Unknown' KAOTOXIN Brutal Death Metal just received a fatal kick in the bollocks, courtesy of French masochists Insain and their murderously powerful, last ever release 'Enlightening The Unknown'. Sad to say no more mass murders will be committed by this tight unit, however upon indulging in their forthcoming EP 'Enlightening The Unknown', the sense is that they wanted to go out on a high and boy have they done just that. Forget about any headbanging, it's far too fast for that and forget about the moshpit, it's too brutal for that, maybe go with a wall of death, no wait it's too metal for that. You heard it here, Insain are too metal for a wall of death, so sit back and let the French wizards conjure up their final magic trick and leave you for dead as we label 'Enlightening The Unknown' as the ultimate slammer of 2014. Download This: "Beyond The Stellar Remnants" For Fans of: Deathbound, Aborted, 'Absurdly fast Death Metal' 'Enlightening The Unknown' is out 11 March 2014 via Kaotoxin Records [9] RHYS STEVENSON  MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS 'Jamat-al-Maut' You can or cannot expect it, Multinational Corporations are a duo from Lahore, Pakistan. Formed in early 2011, they play a mix of Grindcore and Death Metal fused with punk influences. "Jamat-al-maut" is the second release from this hailing duo. With a straightforward approach on the music, "Jamat-al-maut" has a lot to offer through crushing guitar riffs, sonic bass distortions and punishing guitar melodies. As you can expect from a Grind release, the drums are simple yet varied with endless blasts and feelings. Yes the drums are programmed, but this does nott ruin the sound at all. The credit obviously goes to Sheraz (Dionysus, Flaw). Hassan (Foreskin) deserves special attention for what he has done with the vocals. The use of guttural death grunts and screeching vocals (with whispers on 'Penniless Pride') interchange accordingly, solidifying the sounds. The lyrics cover social hype and disorders with all their (the band) mental aggression exposed. The release lasts around 13 minutes (8 songs). "Jamat-al-maut" is a solid release with only a few notable production blunders (as the album closes without any trails). Counting that as a minor, it’s an honest recommendation to go through the release in it's entirety. Download These: "Salaab" & "Penniless Pride" For Fans of: Napalm Death, Grindcore. [8.5] SOMBRE ORACLE  WHITECHAPEL 'Our Endless War' METAL BLADE They've done it once and they've done it again, the monstrosity known as Whitechapel have delivered another serving of their own style of Deathcore that is so brutal, you will crap yourself, period. Wallowing in what can be perceived as a cranial bludgeoning, the sextet's forthcoming album 'Our Endless War' delivers all what they stand for and a bit on the side. You know if this was to be played at full whack on a car stereo, the whole block would hear it and it would certainly trigger off a few earthquakes in the process. Fuelled by Bozeman's exceptional talent at producing verses in a tongue-twister style as seen just passed the 1:16 mark on 'The Saw Is The Law', the whole of 'Our Endless War' will certainly challenge the title of 'Deathcore album of the year' and we would not discount them as being seminal pioneers of Groovy Deathcore, just don't forget your earplugs on the way in to a future Whitechapel concert, especially if you're into the emotional side of Deathcore. Whitechapel don't do emotional Deathcore, they do Deathcore how it should be done. Listen to this: "Mono" For Fans of: Lamb of God, Chelsea Grin, Thy Art Is Murder 'Our Endless War' is out 29th April via Metal Blade Records [9] RHYS STEVENSON  PORTRAIT 'Crossroads' METAL BLADE You have got to love and admire classic Heavy Metal when it comes in different styles, powers and of course nationalities. But hang on, Swedish Heavy Metal? No it's not another Ghost album, it is in fact Portrait's their third album 'Crossroads' which comes three years after 'Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae'. Whilst 'Crossroads' is not all that special, it does offer listeners that nostalgic feeling of 1980's Heavy Metal, you know in the style of Dio? Of course, it does have it's best parts and one of these is the near Iron Maiden-esque vocals that are marred by the Van Halen style drumming and guitar playing; these are all evident on "In Time" and yet the whole album whiffs of near perfection. Sure it is a decent release but it lacks that convincing edge that would have made it a strapping album, but nonetheless it is sure to captivate those who prefer the classic style of Heavy Metal. Listen to this: "Black Easter" For Fans of: Dio, Iron Maiden, Van Halen 'Crossroads' is out 29th April via Metal Blade Records [7] RHYS STEVENSON  CODE OF NELSON'S FOLLY 'Beergasm' When a band creates their own style of metal music such as Alestorm's 'Pirate Metal', the result that usually follows is that bands develop their own variant of the genre. One such band is Croatia's Code of Nelson's Folly, their sound features Pirate Metal mixed with faint traditional folk elements, this is most notable on the song 'Captain's Pride' which comes from their EP 'Beergasm'. Moreover on the same release is their cover of Alestorm's song 'Keelhauled', this cover amplifies the almost guttural klapa singing demonstrated herewith, in fact overall Code of Nelson's Folly will not fall short of being a fad and instead will stand as possibly Croatia's first Pirate Metal band, although it would be more interesting if they did include more traditional folk elements. Download This: "Captain's Pride" For Fans of: Alestorm, Korpiklaani, Turisas. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  THE DAY WILL COME 'Life Before Our Eyes' It's all well creating your own music just as long as it gives your band a unique sound, however for The Day Will Come it seems they have failed to do so. Their latest EP 'Life Before Our Eyes' just sounds so generic it hurts, granted the band injects interesting elements at certain points throughout the release, but the overall impression is that this sits in the corner with the rest of 'This is Metallic Hardcore and we have no idea what we want to do' releases. The riffs are chunky and really good, but the drumming is so boring that it drags the EP down onto it's knees begging for mercy and the vocals fail to save it from a miserable death, as these are generic hardcore and it just makes the overall EP uninspiring, there is room for improvement and here's hoping The Day Will Come actually find it. Download This: "Delusions" For Fans of: Metallic Hardcore. [5] RHYS STEVENSON  KLAYMORE 'It's Alive' Klaymore are a classic Heavy Metal band hailing from the 'the steel city' of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2012, they released their second album 'It's Alive' and whilst it has been two years since the release, the music is of the timeless guild. Think of the Iron Maiden heavy metal style and you begin to realize what Klaymore are aiming for. Juicy riffs guide this sensational work of art through a myriad of sounds to arrive alongside the eccentric solo's and are backed up by an array of venomous vocals and demolition drumming. Make no mistake, Klaymore may not be well known outside the United States, but with their music the way it is, that could change within the new few years. This could mark the next wave of American Heavy Metal. Download This: "Matriarch" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin [8] RHYS STEVENSON  BURNING CROSS 'End Of Illusion' Black Metal is very popular amongst the underground metal scene in Germany and Burning Cross from the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern region are no exception. 2013 saw the quartet unleash another battering of hell in the form of their second album 'End Of Illusion', now there are some who might confuse them with NSBM due to the war and anti-religious lyrics found herewith on the album, but in essence they are a true underground Black Metal band. 'End Of Illusion' expresses raw and rough vocals that slice your throat so bad, you would be dead before you could begin to taste the blood. Moreover, the raw sounds emitted from the guitars and drums just amplifies the sound, maxing it out as a true darkened masterpiece. Infernal hails never sounded so great. Download This: "Stirb Aufrecht" For Fans of: Eastern Front, Hail Of Bullets, Mayhem [8] RHYS STEVENSON  AMONG THE PREY 'My Demons' Fresh from the Finnish tundra comes a new Melodic Death Metal / Metalcore outfit known as Among The Prey. This exquisite duo wields together chunky riffs, riveting drums and murderous vocals that sum up together as a musical apocalypse. Their premier demo 'My Demons' delivers promise all round and whilst it might not necessarily be anything unique in terms of breaking out of the crowded metal genres aforementioned, it certainly offers a tasty treat that most metal fans will be able to indulge in. Guaranteed it is early days for the two-piece, but they are sure to cause a stir amongst the Nordics as their self-branded style of metal will certainly turn a few heads and simultaneously score a few prestige gigs in the future. Download This: "My Demons" For Fans of: The Dead Lay Waiting, Deals Death, Sonic Syndicate [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  VOIGHT KAMPFF
'More Human Than Human' ROBOT BLEU The thing is, with Thrash Metal you know it's going to be fast and sometimes this leads to near-absolute predictability being thrown into the works. However, France's Voight Kampff explore a totally different style of Thrash Metal that ought to be called their own. Take into account their debut album released two years ago, it drafts in elements from the Groove, Thrash and Industrial metal styles and in doing so develops a unique strain of 'Post-Metal'. More uniquely, this quintet exclusively sing about Blade Runner and thus automatically both the lyric topic and music tie together perfectly. They may call it Thrash Metal, but we call this the 'Post-Modern Metal' juggernaut planet metal has been waiting for. Download This: "Emotional Response" For Fans of: The Kovenant, Slayer, Sepultura [8] RHYS STEVENSON  RENEGADE STATE 'The Pit' What has Liverpool and metal got in common besides the obviousness of the shipping heritage? The answer is found in a Renegade State. Fresh from the depths of the Mersey, this five-piece monstrous ensemble wield together elements of Groove Metal, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal and Hardcore together to develop a sound that will epitomize the entire hybrid music ideology. 'The Pit' is not only their latest single, but on their latest release alongside "The Pit are tracks such as "Chicago Typewriter" and "Judgement Day", sure the former sounds like the Bugsy Malone era and the latter sounds like a time of the week we all fear, but the core point is that the Renegade State are a band that could well be on everyone's lips by the end of 2014. Just don't drag up anything about Mancunian football or culture..., joke. DO IT! Download This: "Chicago Typewriter" For Fans of: Chimaira, Machine Head, Pantera [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  ZEITGEIST 'Shallow Play' Paraguay might not come to mind when you think of Gothic Metal, let alone metal music in general, but some may actually challenge this by using Brazil's Sepultura as a prime example. Zeitgeist is a four-piece classic Gothic Metal band arising from the back streets of Asunción, through dropping their awaited debut album 'Shallow Play', the first impressions that come with it are of neutrality, in the sense that the album kicks off in a rather standard-sounding way for a Gothic Metal album, but as the music progresses there is this element of relief that the album is not doomed to slot into the 'every other album sounds like this' trap. 'Shallow Play' in fact is a decent enough release that should garner some attention from their Paraguayan compatriots and South American cousins, the likelihood of it reaching European shores will have to wait till the second album. Through the use of dynamic vocals, virtuoso guitar playing and solid drumming, Zeitgeist's 'Shallow Play' is a one to enjoy after a few re-runs. Download This: "For You" For Fans of: Evanescence, Sirenia, Tainted Grace [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  SILENT OPERA 'Reflections' MASSACRE 'Reflections' is no doubt one of the most highly-anticipated metal albums of the year, the album explodes into a wide array of sounds that will certainly tickle the taste buds of planet metal. What Silent Opera have done here is something spectacular, by lashing together the elegant beauty of Symphonic Gothic Metal with the hard, heavy hitting power of Melodic Death Metal, the sextet seemingly have crafted out their own unique sound. Underneath the album's skin lies the echoing connotations of the operatic greats such as The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables, by charging thunderously down the halls of Operatic darkness and into the new wave of Orchestral Metal, Silent Opera will place themselves on everyone's lips in 2014. 'Reflections' is guaranteed to smash your senses to pieces as the majestic power demonstrated here is enough to shatter crystal. It would not be surprising at all if 'Reflections' secures Silent Opera a slot at either Wacken or Bloodstock in the not so distance future. Download This: "Dorian" For Fans of: Within Temptation, Arcane Grail, In Flames, Delain [10] RHYS STEVENSON  UNTIL EXTINCTION 'Malice' Four years after their debut album, Missouri's Until Extinction have certainly dusted themselves down. The debut album was not as impressive as this album is, with a clearer production level imminently evident, and the harmonics and brutal elements intertwining more freely, 'Malice' is an album you would want to chew into intentionally. Naturally Until Extinction have followed their instinct and in doing so have delivered a release that is sure to garner attention across the USA, overseas attention might be a little harder but with this formula demonstrated, they could easily push harder and further. Just imagine a hundred horses galloping towards the sunset in an adventurous style, this is the best envisage you could apply to the album, it is a rapid journey across many musical sounds. Just prepare yourself for the last track which is a whopping 10 minute opus, might as well whip out the popcorn and American beer. Download This: "Herald The Dawn" For Fans of: Immoralis, Gojira, Dream Theater [8] RHYS STEVENSON  FALLEN FATE 'Into The Black' If a forthcoming apocalypse had to have a soundtrack constructed in order to support the mass devastation, Fallen Fate's 'Into The Black' would be the perfect candidate. Developed by fusing together the monstrous sounds of Thrash Metal with the brutality of Modern Metal, the calculated output is one of sincere cranial destruction and sheer incomprehensible force. From the start to the end, Fallen Fate certainly have upped the ante since their well-received debut album 'The Virus Has Spread' (2011), by utilizing ear-bleeding vocals alongside explosive drumming sequences and murderous riffs, 'Into The Black' is a definite contender for album of the year, even though the year has only just begun. With this effort firmly set in concrete, it is inevitable that Fallen Fate will be blitzing their way through 2014 and remain a positively and highly promising unsigned British Metal band. Watch this space... Download This: "Blackened Within" For Fans of: Machine Head, Sylosis, Trivium, As I Lay Dying [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  ALTERBEAST 'Immortal' UNIQUE LEADER If violence was to become the next Disney film theme, then Alterbeast ought to be the film's composer. By unleashing a rally murderous brutality via through their debut album 'Immortal', the Californian Technical Death Metal newbies craft a sound that will crush anyone who opposes it to death. Guaranteed it will make you spit blood and spew acid out of every orifice. Unrelenting vocals shatter the silence with enough force, leaving your last constipation seeming pitiful, moreover whilst the drums deliver a whammy of fast-paced mauling, the guitars exercise and shred metal shrapnel so sharp it will make your cranial area bleed black blood. Whence listening to the sheer uncompromising brutality delivered by the Californian quintet, prepare yourself to walk away with your tail between your legs and with the knowledge that Alterbeast might just be one of 2014's hottest and newest properties. For Fans of: Abigail Williams, The Black Dahlia Murder, Psycroptic, Cryptopsy 'Immortal' is out 18th March 2014 via Unique Leader Records [8] RHYS STEVENSON  INDICA 'Shine' NUCLEAR BLAST Making their highly-anticipated return to deliver their sixth studio album is Finland's all-female troupe Indica, building upon their successful 2010 album 'A Way Away' the quintet once again muster together their unique sound of Pop Rock, Alternative Metal and Symphonic Rock to shatter the musical barriers and evidently demonstrate why they are more than your average girl group. 'Shine' drags together the elegance of Nightwish, the power of Vanilla Ninja and the attitude of Finnish rockers that has served the national music scene for decades gone by. 'Shine' will get you moving on the dance floor and can easily prove itself to be successful as a soundtrack to proms or parties, make no mistake about it 'Shine' is certified to make anyone who listens to it rock their hearts out, without a doubt this album is an easy contender for Finnish album of the year. Download This: "Hush Now Baby" For Fans of: Vanilla Ninja, Nightwish, Evanescence, The Rasmus [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  BEHEMOTH 'The Satanist' NUCLEAR BLAST Let's be honest here, Poland's most successful Metal band of all time has gone and delivered what has to be their best album ever. Spitting acidic venom at every second, 'The Satanist' revels in the darkest pits of hell and smothers the atmosphere with the choking black smoke-smell of burning Black Metal and disease-ridden Death Metal. For a band that has been going non-stop over 23 years, never taken a hiatus and has never failed to impress, their new album 'The Satanist' certainly is the cream of the crop. Through the album you can experience the unrelenting power and mind-blowing force that this trio of musical architects have summoned on every song, more so if this triad from Eastern Europe continues their sensational punishment, we could see their follow-up being even greater, irrespective of the fact that 'The Satanist' is an album that will be hard to match by; the Behemoth metal sound continues.... Download This: "The Satanist" For Fans of: Vader, God Dethroned, Vesania [10] RHYS STEVENSON  THERION 'Theli - Deluxe Edition' NUCLEAR BLAST Sweden's most successful Operatic / Symphonic Metallers Therion return with their latest offering in the form of 'Theli - Deluxe Edition'. Whilst at first it seems to be nothing but the same material they have been churning out over the years, it is in fact nearly the same as some of the material they have been churning out over the years. That does not mean to say it is not good, it basically means that if you like Therion, then you will like their upcoming album. Utilizing deep male vocals in the form of chamber music and weaving that alongside guitar and drum symphonies, Therion have once again proven themselves that they are a one of a kind. 'Theli - Deluxe Edition' will appeal to those who like the softer, darker and more elegant side of metal, the question is whether Therion can deliver it just as good when performing. For Fans of: Nigthwish, HIM, Avantasia 'Theli - Deluxe Edition' is out 28th February via Nuclear Blast Records [7] RHYS STEVENSON  PERSONA GRATA 'Reaching Places High Above' Slovakia's Persona Grata are a rather curious bunch, sure they utilize the Progressive Metal sound to it's optimus prime, but by layering it with traditional Central European melodies and influences, this is a rather ethnic sound conjured up and is evidently prevalent on their debut album 'Reaching Places High Above' released last year. Sure the album at times questions itself as a credible release, simply because at times the music sounds all chucked in and not organized strategically. Meaning it's not the best release possible, but by no means is it a push over, more so it offers a newer dimension but sadly lacks that final push that makes it a brilliant debut. What have they been up to for the last seven years prior to release is beyond anyone's questioning, it certainly was partially wasted in relation to this release. Download This: "Orient Express" For Fans of: Dream Theater, Symphony X, most Prog Metal bands. [7] RHYS STEVENSON  ADAMANTIUM
'Demo 2013' Every so often you will come across a release that at first seems to be as bland as a white canvas sheet, but as it progresses it's true colors begin to show. Welcoming to the apocalypse is Worcester's Heavy Thrash merchants Adamantium, whose 2013 demo delivers your average standard modern metal whilst coincidentally wafts in melodies here and there in the comparable sounds of Iron Maiden. Whilst it may never prove itself as pivotal in their career, it is a decent enough release that will get local and regional folk rocking out all night. At times the vocals deal no justice and lack that vibrancy that would push their sound up a gear, compensating for that are the intricate solo's and riffs that sit nicely on top of the drumming sequences. Credit is given where it's due and as long as Adamantium keep this line-up and buff the vocals up, they are sure to garner attention outside the West Midlands. Download This: "Escape Proof" For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Metallica [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  CORPSE MACHINE 'Annihilate' Michigan's Corpse Machine clearly don't hang around, not only did they form in January this year, their debut EP 'Annihilate' was released in April this year, they must be on a mission and yet their EP speaks of promise, brewing a storm of underground Black / Death Metal with some Doom Metal is not always easy and yet Corpse Machine seem to do it without any restriction, even if they are part of a scene that is overly-saturated with rockstar want-to-be's. 'Annihilate' takes the very essential essence of the underground raw sound and ladens it with some interesting riffs (sometimes venturing into the Groove Metal style; seen around the '3:27-3:44' mark on the song "Corporate Scum"), pitch perfect drums and scarily shrieking vocals. The new version of Black / Death Metal could have now arisen to take the US metal scene by storm. Download This: "Corporate Scum" For Fans of: Carpathian Forest, Behemoth, Belphegor [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  SABATON 'Swedish Empire Live' NUCLEAR BLAST Unleashing their first ever DVD is Swedish Power Metal veterans Sabaton and boy does it pack a sensational feeling, filmed primarily at their headlining slot at the highly known Polish Woodstock festival, the Swedes deliver the sensationalism that you always experience during their live sets, now whilst many would agree it does not compare to the DVD, the reality is that this is an achievement and to relive some memories they have to be documented. But face the facts, there was 600,000 punters at this festival, that's enough to fill the entire Arsenal Emirates stadium tenfold!! Furthermore the DVD boasts four hours of footage and so if you're going on holiday and are not driving, then you have a good excuse to watch Sabaton's 'Swedish Empire Live'; would be even more apt if you were going on holiday to Sweden. Fans of this sensational Power Metal band will hear some of the old classics to the new hot songs, there is something here from everyone and other recordings include performances in London, Oberhausen and the well known Swedish city of Gothenburg, now whether you are a fan or not, this is a momentous piece of Metal music to own, make no mistake about it as the truth is that Sabaton are true Power Metal gods, question is can they match this emphatic release in 2014? 'Swedish Empire Live' is out 20th September 2013 via Nuclear Blast. The release comes in various formats: 2 Blu-Ray Digi / 2 DVD Digi / DVD (Poland only) CD Digi / 2LP (limited black vinyl in gatefold + poster) / 2LP (limited yellow vinyl in gatefold + poster) !!!Nuclear Blast Mailorder only!!! Earbook (2 Blu-Ray + 2 DVD + DVD + exclusive bonus CD, 48 pages Earbook) Special Leather Hardcover Earbook !!!Nuclear Blast Mailorder only!!! (2 Blu-Ray + 2DVD + DVD + exclusive bonus CD, 48 pages Earbook) [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  ZOLTAR SPEAKS 'Save As I Save' Taking their band name from an unusual antique arcade fortune teller machine featured in the Tom Hanks film 'Big', Somerset's Zoltar Speaks unleash their highly-anticipated debut album 'Save As I Save', featuring much of the classic Melodic / Alternative Metal that the female-fronted armada is capable of delivering, the vocals do not disappoint as they wallow in between the alleys of Amy Lee and Kobra Paige and feature an accompanying attitude that resides within vocalist Louise Body, therefore it is inevitable that the music in it's entirety is going to be unique and phenomenal and boy i it is, following the killer instinct through the wizardry amassed on the guitars and the precision exercised on the drums, 'Save As I Save' is definitely a contender for debut album of the year, but let's not get too optimistic as it's not December yet, all that can be said right now is that 'Save As I Save' by Zoltar Speaks is an album every metal fan should own, this work of art is their key to nationwide recognition, therefore watch this space... 'Save As I Save' is out 11th November 2013 via an Independent release For Fans of: Evanescence, Kobra & The Lotus, Barbe-Q-Barbies, Vanilla Ninja [10] RHYS STEVENSON  RAVENOUSE 'The Last Gate' You can always be assured that when any Italian band dives into the Gothic Metal pool, comes out drenched with such immense power that the resulting music is simply divine. Ravenouse do exactly that and as a result they unleash the erotically charged masterpiece that is their debut album 'The Last Gate', featuring the much beloved duet in the highly recognizable beauty and the beast style. Ravenouse deliver a generous mix of angelic heavenly female vocals with devilish growling male vocals, which in turn become savaged by some epic harmonious symphonies through the majestic usage of the keyboards and doused with an array of riffs and drumming patterns that drive this sensational release forward, make no mistake about it Ravenouse are the next Lacuna Coil. There is only one way to sum up Ravenouse in their entirety, and that is that they are the Modern Gothic Metal band the world has been waiting for. Download This: "Flying Angel" For Fans of: Lacuna Coil, H.I.M, Evanescence [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  IMMORALIS 'The Great Collapse' Without a doubt possibly the most exciting new band to emerge from the American abyss all year, forging a sound that circulates around symphonies, orchestral pieces, Death Metal and Metalcore, Immoralis' premier album 'The Great Collapse' is the sound that everyone must hear. From start to finish, the emphatic symphonic backdrops that cascade like waterfalls on top of the jagged bedrock of Death Metal / Metalcore vocals, set the tone for the riffs to crash against, whilst the drums deliver the final face-punch that will enable Immoralis to gain well earned international attention from this Teutonic masterpiece. So what happens when elegance, brutality and six algorithmic minds come together? Simple, total apocalyptic musical mayhem, enter Immoralis and their own stance on metal... dubbed 'Symphonic Orchestral Deathcore'. Download This: "Trudge This Lonely Road" For Fans of: Bleeding Through, Born of Osiris, Fleshgod Apocalypse [10] RHYS STEVENSON  LIGHTLESS MOOR 'The Poem - Crying My Grief To A Feeble Dawn' WORMHOLEDEATH Probably the darkest metal band in terms of imagery and musical ideology to emerge from the sun-kissed island of Sardinia. Unleashing a shadowy strike of Gothic Doom Metal is the Italian sextet Lightless Moor of whose debut album 'The Poem - Crying My Grief To A Feeble Dawn' will certainly turn heads as it engulfs the atmosphere with everything that is to be loved about Italian Gothic Metal, the angelic and vibrant female vocals crashing against the deep, growling and beastly male vocals to give a duet feeling, that added with the erotic harmonics from the keyboards and raw brutality combined through the drumming and guitar playing, all intricately balance each other out to combine as one hell of a decent release. 'The Poem - Crying My Grief To A Feeble Dawn' speaks elegance, majestic elements and classical beauty, accept no substitutes. Download This: "Cento Respiri" For Fans of: Lacrimas Profundere, Lacuna Coil, Paradise Lost [8] RHYS STEVENSON  PSYCHEMA 'Bygones' INVERSE Finland seems to always be producing sensational metal and rock bands, either it's in their blood or it's in the water they drink, this certainly seems to be the way when especially bands like Psychema arise again to drop another release in their history. The Progressive Melodic Metal outfit purges out the complexities of Progressive music and instead adopt a rather alternative approach, but not in the sense that they are completely detached from the said genre, in fact the upcoming EP 'Bygones' shifts between elements of aggression, lusciousness and calmness, from the ever-changing vocals that shift from screaming to melodic and the guitars and drums working harmoniously in sync with each other, there is nothing to say that 'Bygones' will not attract attention across Europe, it simply is a wonderful masterpiece that is guaranteed to be a favorite amongst most Progressive music fans. For Fans of: Dream Theater, H.I.M., Opeth 'Bygones' is out 19th October via Inverse Records [8] RHYS STEVENSON  KINETIK 'Greed' Basically if it's Thrash Metal then you know full well it's going to be fast, pumped up and unbelievably tricky on the riffs, Kinetik is no exception to this. The Italian five-piece have undoubtedly invested decent musical ideas and channeled them into creating a sound that speaks 80's Thrash through and through. On the other hand their debut demo 'Greed' might as well be lauded as just another Thrash Metal release, but let's face it there is not much that can be done to change that. As for the demo itself it speaks volume, furious crushing brutality and would sound sensational inside any Roman Colosseum. Featuring trippy double bass drumming, tight riffs and vocals that would make any Italian stallion go from trot to full gallop and as the music takes you into sheer galloping speed, you better be ready to experience painful whiplash. Download This: "Greed" For Fans of: Slayer, Gama Bomb, Evile [8] RHYS STEVENSON  ANCIENT DESIRE 'Ancient Desire' Unleashing their debut self-titled EP, is the Czech sextet Ancient Desire. Their premier self-titled EP incorporates the beautiful essences found within Symphonic Gothic Metal; that classic beauty and the beast setup doused with the feeling of Central European elegance forming the underbelly of this band, whilst at the same time layering the music with the bard and theatrics of the historic Bohemian concerts, as if this band was the metallic form of the Prague Symphonic Orchestra. No joke, Ancient Desire are sure to break out of the Czech Metal scene with such oomph and gusto that followers of Within Temptation will undoubtedly have a new band to follow, the 'Ancient Desire' EP is a sign that Symphonic Gothic Metal style is not going to be always associated with the Dutch and that this Czech unit are assimilating a sound that will rock a few boats. Download This: "The Master Andiron From Lucanid" For Fans of: Within Temptation, Tarja-era Nightwish, Prague Symphonic Orchestra [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  MYRIAD LIGHTS
'Mark Of Vengeance' There are times when a Heavy Metal band releases their material and it turns out to be classic s**t, not in the positive way either. Italian quartet Myriad Lights narrowly escape the trap door with their premier album released last year, 'Mark Of Vengeance' comes six years after the band's inception and the instant question of 'what the hell are they playing at?' is on many peoples lips, but when you hear the album 'Mark Of Vengeance', it does offer some good music for sure, but overall it's just another heavy metal album, there is nothing spectacular about it and some of the solo's do not fit in well with the music pattern, let alone the drums seeming to be stuck on one beat throughout the album! It's one to release an album, but to release an album that lacks certain feelings is a bad move. Download This: "Fury Of Time" For fans of: 'where does one start?' [6] RHYS STEVENSON  BEL'O'KAN 'Thousands of Conquerors' BRENNUS MUSIC Weaving together a sumptuous sound of Melodic Heavy Metal and Power Metal is French sextet Bel'O'Kan in the form of their highly anticipated second album 'Thousands of Conquerors', from start to finish the music elements are as crystal clear as the sky, first impressions were that this was going to be one of those 'lets be another Evanescence' style of album, but bloody wars is this not the case. Instead what comes is a wave after wave barrage of emphatic 'angelic metal' which takes into account the majestic vibrancy of the female vocals and male vocals in tow, whilst the fluidity of the riffs and solos keep the album firmly powered up as the drumming drives the sound to terminal velocity, so much so listeners will be taken firmly into the clouds where the sonic explosion of Bel'O'Kan will be heard worldwide, 'Thousands of Conquerors' may just have booked the band international recognition, and maybe a prestigious festival slot next year. Download This: "Power Of The Throne" For Fans of: Nightwish, Avantasia, Beto Vázquez Infinity [10] RHYS STEVENSON  BEAST 'Dead Or Alive' GAPHALS Dropping a bombshell on the Swedish rock and metal scene is Beast, a four-piece female-fronted mob who are about to drop their premier release 'Dead Or Alive' later this year. Much alike the resurgent force that seems to sweeping across the globe, Beast will join a legion of female-fronted Hard Rock / Heavy Metal bands that have stepped into the global abyss. 'Dead Or Alive' spews out a smooth and slick sound of classic ballsy rock and a metallic attitude that could easily become the result of a amplified ABBA. Just think AC/DC meets Stevie Nicks meets Iron Maiden and you get the idea of what this group sounds like. Chopping riffs lavished with erotic solo's, sidelined by vocals that will improve your sexual life like never before and supported by a drumbeat that would make you party the night away whether you're 'Dead Or Alive'. Download This: "Bad Habits" For Fans of: AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest 'Dead Or Alive' is out 23rd October 2013 (Sweden) and 4th November (Europe) via Graphals in CD, Vinyl and is available through all major digital retails [8] RHYS STEVENSON  EMPIRES FALL 'The Tyrants Genocide' Sadly no longer together so consider this as a post-review of their only ever EP 'The Tyrants Genocide' which came into being last year. Given the sheer velocity of this Australian Deathcore troupe, it is totally abysmal that they called quits. They have got so much potential and it shows on this EP, featuring unrelenting Deathcore vocals that charge the music with so much energy that it could keep Melbourne alight for a whole week without the use of a power station! The music itself wields grizzly riffs and uncompromising breakdowns that would make bands like Thy Art Is Murder s**t their pants, 'The Tyrants Genocide' overall is a heavy as f**k release that deserved much more recognition internationally than it has done, furthermore it is clear that Empires Fall have made a grave error calling it a day, it will certainly haunt them as they could have made it big. Download This: "Dreaming Of Eradication" For Fans of: Whitechapel, Buried In Verona, I Killed The Prom Queen [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  SEPTEKH 'The Seth Avalanche' ABYSS Looking rather dapper in their photo is one thing but the music by Septekh is beyond dapper, in fact it is mind-blowing, more so than trying to work out what style they are playing to a precise pigeonhole answer. 'The Seth Avalanche' is the Swede's second EP and was released last year, now what you can expect is a rather interesting approach and take on to the whole Death / Thrash algorithm, in fact this music will give you enough firepower to spit at anyone who messes your life, perhaps that could be the meaning behind 'The Seth Avalanche', but the music itself delivers crushing Death Metal vocals with the dripping of free-gliding riffs and child-friendly drumming, yeah right! This music is not meant for the emo's, so be warned. This music is meant for proper metal fans, that is all. Download This: "Blunt Force To The Head" For Fans of: The Haunted, Hatesphere, Slayer [8] RHYS STEVENSON  CHICKSY DICKS 'Obsessed' Simply ballsy rock and heavy metal combined is what you can sum up Chicksy Dicks' debut EP as, 'Obsessed' is a non-stop rallying of classic hard rock with the embodiment of Heavy Metal. Hailing from Slovenia, this five-piece platoon of musical sophistication drops the sound that everyone craves, through the use of catchy vocals and lyrics, unpredictable riffs and solos, terrific bass notes and rapid-fire drumming, 'Obsessed' is a release to keep everyone on their toes. This is not just a band trying to redefine Iron Maiden, no not at all, instead Chicksy Dicks are doing this in their own way and that way is different from every other modern band playing the same or similar style. It took the band six years to make their first release appear but boy was the wait worth it. Download This: "Face To See" For Fans of: Van Halen, Metallica, Judas Priest [8] RHYS STEVENSON  DYS INBUNDEN 'Pandemonium Unchained' LIFLÄTINN PRODS Desecrating the Black Metal scene of 2013 is Swedish chaos-commanders Dys Inbunden with their premier album 'Pandemonium Unchained', before the release this unit was in fact a one-man project headed by Gefandi Ör Andlät but now has transformed into a clan fit for a festival slot. 'Pandemonium Unchained' spews out the charismatic and enjoyable feeling of raw atmospheric black metal from which blankets the air with a cold and bitter feeling, as to drown the listener in eternal madness and consequential depression. It is early days for this Swedish Black Metal armada, but with this scrutable album now firmly within the wilds of the global metal wilderness I firmly believe they will go far and possibly could be touring Europe within the next two to three years. Download This: "Sansho Shima" For Fans of: Watain, Dark Funeral, Carpathian Forest [9] RHYS STEVENSON  IRONOYA 'Testament' Swiss Groove / Deathcore group Ironoya dropped their debut EP last year before this year changing their name to Deus Ex Machina and having a band-member switch about. The former's EP 'Testament' glistens with the inescapable sounds of guttural Death Metal / Deathcore vocals whilst the guitars and drums fill in with the final slaying in the form of some rather nifty and funky Groove Metal. Switzerland is not normally known for this style of metal so it comes as a bit of a revelation to the said metal scene, however for the now defunct Ironoya this was a journey they have semi-started and semi-continued, it's just whether they should have carried on as this formation or have they made the right choice? Time will tell, as for the 'Testament' EP, it simply is a sensational release that deserves much more acknowledgement. Download This: "Veuve Noire" For Fans of: Lamb of God, Whitechapel, DevilDriver [8] RHYS STEVENSON  ORPHEUM 'Treason' Now this is a rather odd release to be fair, mixing Progressive Metal with Gothic Metal is one thing but to have an EP out with only three tracks that equate to just over 22 minutes worth of listening is rather peculiar, some would expect much more given it has taken three years to make. Nonetheless 'Treason' does make way for a decent awe inspiring EP, however at times the drums tend to go overboard and totally ruin the pattern of the song 'Spiritus', but overall the EP does feature an easily identifiable sound that comprises of heavenly vocals, catchy and almost tricky riffs as well as bombastic drumming, the sad thing is it's not even near perfection but it will do as a trial run, it's just the case of whether Londoners Orpheum can find their feet for their next outing, what that next outing will be who knows. Download This: "Porcelain Doll" For Fans of: Within Temptation (Mother Earth era), Novembre, Noturna [7] RHYS STEVENSON  ASARU 'From The Chasms Of Oblivion' SCHWARZDORN There comes a time where a Black Metal release will turn out to be total wank, unfortunately Asaru's second album 'From The Chasms Of Oblivion', which was released last year, borders that category. The good thing about the release is that it sticks to the bleak atmosphere that the band have carefully crafted out on their debut album, but the music itself is a little less impressive and needs a bit more working on, for instance you can just hear the bass drum and it has very little prominence, just like a third tier football team in Germany playing for the Deutsche Fussball Bund Pokal cup, hardly any chance at getting a look in. 'From The Chasms Of Oblivion' is firmly in the gray area, some aspects are good and some are shockingly bad, fans of Black Metal might be torn aside on this one. Download This: "Beyond The Bonds Of Time" For Fans of: Well... Black Metal. [6] RHYS STEVENSON  LEFT FOR RED
'Vol 002 - Mercy Flight' Is that Devin Townsend on vocals?!?! Didn't know he could do a Brummie accent, is there anything that Canadian musical wizard cannot do? It would be rather interesting if Left For Red supported The Devin Townsend Project in the future, but for now their upcoming EP 'Vol 002 - Mercy Flight' features all of the characteristics that a successful three-track release is meant to have, brimming with insurmountable talent that is hard to come by these days in the Groove Metal department, the vocals on 'Vol 002 - Mercy Flight' are so powerful that they blew out all of the terminal windows at East Midlands airport, dubbing it 'musical terrorism' and leaving it as perhaps one of the best EP's the Midlands metal scene has seen in the year 2013. The melodies gently glide over the Teutonic rhythms and trippy riffs to finalize an EP that is simply inspirational. For Fans of: Pantera, Black Sabbath, Metallica 'Vol 002 - Mercy Flight' is out 25th November via A.R.C. Records [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  DYING DECAY 'Demo 2013' Where does one begin, where does one begin to criticize this release apart from saying that it falls short of anything credible. Germany's Dying Decay have got to improve after this abysmal demo release, the only thing that stands out is the riffs, and even they aren't 100% convincing. Now imagine having a dodgy curry and being on the loo for hours on end, same principle with this release, it is 95% awful. Never mind what style of metal they are aiming for, until they improve the vocals by giving them more prominence and the drums pick up their presence and stop letting the guitars take the lime-light, Dying Decay will be exactly what their band name suggests. 'Demo 2013' is well a shocking release, for all the wrong reasons. [4.5] RHYS STEVENSON  KHADAVER 'New World Disorder' What you could easily call 'Dystopian Cyber Metal' is in fact Khadaver's splendid mixture of electronic elements with industrial black metal in such a way that they have developed their own unique sound. 'New World Disorder' is the Slovakian trio's debut album and as long as you're into cold and bitter music you'll be just fine because this music is designed to place chills down your spine. Forged in the darkened areas of Soviet relics in Presov, Khadaver ignite a revolutionary sound that should act as a warning to the people of the EU that inevitable totalitarianism is not just a theory but slowly becoming a reality. Now if you're into films like V For Vendetta, 1984, Iron Sky and the forthcoming film The Fourth Reich, basically any work of art that relates to dystopia, totalitarianism and the whole paraphernalia of total control, then 'New World Disorder' by Khadaver is for you. Download This: "21st Century Antichrist" For Fans of: The Kovenant, Combichrist, Rammstein, Laibach [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  SAPIENCY 'Tomorrow' SAOL After their successful debut album, Germany's Sapiency could not wait to deliver their second smiting album 'Tomorrow', delivering once again their emphatic modern melodic death / thrash metal sound. This album is a whole lot heavier and certainly packs a powerful punch through the cleverly executed switching between clean vocals and death growls, whilst the guitars do their wizardry much better than that of Harry Potter, the drums deliver a rally of thunderous beats and double bass deliverance whilst the atmosphere is of pure sensationalism, this is evidently the new face of modern melodic death metal and as the album suggests, 'Tomorrow' brings a whole lot of new things to the meaning o life, as for the band, well... Bloodstock anyone? Download This: "Weight Of The World" For Fans of: Scar Symmetry, In Flames, 'soul-crushing metal' [8] RHYS STEVENSON  WINTERCOLD 'Invoke The Ancient Forces' Perhaps the jolliest release by Swedish Gothic Doom project Wintercold, here again Satanic Tony delivers another bountiful of dark and depressive music but ironically in a more happier way, the 2013 promo / demo 'Invoke The Ancient Forces' is a fruitful hour long and displays a brilliant array of different sounds that will garner a lot of attention. This is a change of sound by the mastermind and it has been executed very well, rather than having just a raw and fuzzy atmosphere, the atmosphere this release delivers is one that could be likened to bands such as Black Sabbath or the modern band Ghost, especially the vocals in comparison are highly similar. It is left to be said that Wintercold rarely ever disappoint, a truly remarkable inspiration to anyone thinking of entering music. Download This: "Death Comes Ripping" For Fans of: Ghost, Black Sabbath, Candlemass [8] RHYS STEVENSON  CORNERS OF SANCTUARY 'Breakout' MARCH BABY MEDIA Ah the sound of classic hard rock and heavy metal, hard to escape and hard to not love, even if the band has been going two years and released two albums. Just pure magic, this time that magic falls onto the laps of American trio Corners of Sanctuary and their premier album 'Breakout', with an armada of ballsy classic rock and metal coursing throughout this excellent debut album, a lot of rock and metal fans will enjoy this release by sipping some whisky at the same time. On the other hand there will be some people who will act and speak out against another band trying to modernize Iron Maiden, give over! Iron Maiden is Iron Maiden and Corners of Sanctuary is Corners of Sanctuary, a rising classic metal band that will surely go down well in the UK as they 'Breakout' of the underground. Download This: "Juggernaut" For Fans of: Saxon, Queen, Savage [8] RHYS STEVENSON  VESPERIAN SORROW 'Stormwinds Of Ages' THE PATH LESS TRAVELLED American Black Metal tends to be highly over-rated but from time to time you come across an absolute gem and think to yourself, why aren't they huge over in Europe? Such a band is Vesperian Sorrow whose fourth album 'Stormwinds Of Ages' delivers another smacking of sensational and atmospherically charged Symphonic Extreme Black Metal. Armed with blistering paced drums, spine-chilling keyboard symphonies and everything else you would expect from an extreme metal album. The stand out track by far is "Casting Dawn Into Shadow" because of the heavenly angelic vocals delivered by guest musician Erika Tandy (Autumn Tears, Ignitor & Morgengrau), perfectly honestly I think she should become a permanent musician because she adds that missing piece to make the band's sound that extra special and unique. This is no Averse Sefira, this is Vesperian Sorrow and they are going to shred your senses to pieces. Download This: "Casting Dawn Into Shadow" For Fans of: Shade Empire, Grand Alchemist, Saturnian [10] RHYS STEVENSON  WINTERBURST 'The Mind Cave' France has always had a love affair with Black Metal, right down to the Les Légions Noires and of course the dark side of the French onions... but turning heads in the underground is Symphonic Black / Death Metal masochists Winterburst, their 2012 album says it all. 'The Mind Cave' lavishes supreme keyboard symphonies with the shrieking and bombastic brutality of pure Black Metal, just imagine the Phantom of the Opera with Varg Vikernes as the Phantom.. you get the idea of what this band is like. With only four years existence and this album to go by, Winterburst could yet become France's most successful Symphonic Black Metal band ever to date. Outrageously rapid drumming coincides with a cascading feeling of devilish riffs and erotic chanting, this is the new sound of the French Black Metal scene. Download This: "The Mind Cave" For Fans of: Dimmu Borgir, 'general Symphonic Black Metal' [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  NORPHOBIA 'Seelenglanz' Well I'm not being funny but if the average listener cannot hear this well enough to detect actual vocals here, how on earth will people with hearing aids be able to hear this? Seriously they need to find a new studio, anyway 'Seelenglanz' is Norphobia's premier album and was released last year. Now the only best bit about the album is that it exists, well ok maybe the guitars deserve credit but the rest of the music, well 1. where is it and 2. what is this? Germany may be good at spewing out metal bands and albums but christ did she have diarrhea delivering this one. Supposedly it's Melodic Black / Death Metal, supposedly the studio needs to be either shut down or redone, because this is just appalling. [4] RHYS STEVENSON  DISSONA 'Dissona' Chicago may be the setting for the Broadway of theater productions in the USA, but like with every theater production their is a protagonist, this time the curtain falls onto Dissona, a Progressive Metal ensemble of whom delivered their sophomore album last year, their self-titled musical product delivers the very best of Progressive Metal, ascending vocals take the harmonics of the keyboards along with it whilst the dramatics involving the drums and guitars set out the persona of this release and naturally the band. Whilst it is disconnected from the glut of djent bands who want to become the new Meshuggah, 'Dissona' pinches a whole rally of influences from a wide array of genres, such as Melodic Metal, Avant-Garde Metal and Power Metal, it is down to the listener to pinpoint on each song where these influences are at their most prominent. Download This: "Immersion" For Fans of: Sonata Arctica, Meshuggah, Enochian Theory [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  EMBRACE OF SILENCE
'Leaving the Place Forgotten by God' SOLITUDE The Ukrainian Metal scene seems to be having a glut of Doom and Death Metal bands, almost as if they have a fetish for it, so it's no surprise that when sextet Embrace Of Silence dropped their debut album last year that the feeling of mass depression sets in. 'Leaving the Place Forgotten by God' is almost a moniker that secretly means "we are ghosts", hence dragging out that impending doom feeling, as if your funeral was meant to be a weeping willow affair. As for the music itself, well the Death Metals take the reins very well and pushes the Doom Metal atmosphere into the right direction, sure this album is relatively short for a Doom / Death Metal album, but for those who have patience the feelings felt through the music is breathtakingly impressive. Experience the harshness of Ukrainian doom and bitterness. Download This: "In Angel's Hand" For Fans of: Anathema, Katatonia, My Dying Bride [7.5] 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 |
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May 2021
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