GMA - Vol 203 - Tagarot, Sloanwall, Poder Vivo, Dezaztre Natural, Vultures To Carrion, She Must Burn, Burial Dust, Girugamesh, Rotting Christ, Asgrauw

TAGAROT
'Veleda's Prophecy'
INDEPENDENT

For those not tuned into folkloric history, Veleda was a prophetic priestess of the Germanic 'Bructeri' tribe and serves as the foundation for the title of Tagarot's debut EP. 'Veleda's Prophecy' glimmers with sheer class, emphatic folk music beats and metal crunchiness, not only does it get your feet tapping it demands you to get up and dance. Letting this rip loud across the Alps would cause an imminent landslide under the sheer power delivered, through the use of traditional folk instruments alongside the basics of metal music (as expected in Folk Metal) Tagarot have developed their own sound which might as well be labelled "Alpine Folk Metal". Full of promise, it won't be too long before Tagarot build up a loyal fan base across Austria and Central Europe. The downside is that vocalist Carina Linder has left the band, so whomever takes the reigns must have the aptitude and power to succeed such a decent vocalist.

Download This: "Samant" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Eluveitie, Heidevolk, Punch 'N' Judy

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

SLOANWALL
'Dawn Of Light'
INDEPENDENT

'Dawn Of Light' in short is a really decent Southern Metal release, the premier EP by Croatian newbies Sloanwall broods in groove-chugging riffs, a slow and smooth atmosphere and tons of blues. The funny thing is Southern Metal is such a weird metal genre that it ought to be ostracized from planet metal for being weirder than weird, despite this somewhat crazy suggestion Sloanwall certainly would not care that much as their EP is so juicy, fruit has suddenly gone out of fashion. So whilst your slowly and soothingly sipping Jack Daniels, or Jim Beam's, whip on Sloanwall's EP 'Dawn Of Light' and let the chill time commence. The music is so laid back and rocking at the same time, you would think you were in the deep southern states of America, as for the band well they are doing something right, that is for sure.

Download This: "Raw Law" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Black Label Society, Hellyeah, Alabama Thunderpussy

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

PODER VIVO
'Poder Vivo'
INDEPENDENT

Unsurprisingly yet another interesting export has made its way out of Argentina and onto the world of metal, ok for those who are not well equipped to handle different languages or cannot understand Spanish then switch off, but for those willing to experience something different then check out Poder Vivo's self-titled EP. Brazen in glory. This EP carries all the hallmarks you would expect from a Heavy / Power Metal band: harmonic keys, bouncy drums, stratospheric vocals, erotic riffs and ballsy bass, in fact 'Poder Vivo' is already a short-listed contender for 'Argentinian Metal release of the year' and 2016 is only one month old. Perfect music to have sex to, 'Poder Vivo' is an adventure full of erotic sounds and sensations, let it in and roam your mind because after all it will be the best 30 odd minutes in your life.

Download This: "Misterio Ancestral" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Sonata Arctica, 3 Inches of Blood, Battle Beast

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

DEZAZTRE NATURAL
'Auto - Exterminio'
INDEPENDENT

Get your neck some insurance because you will need it after listening to the sensational second album by Chilean thrashers Dezaztre Natural. 'Auto - Exterminio' is a slab of unrelenting and uncompromising Thrash Metal that is designed to reap your soul and claim your body at the sheer force of the music. It is fast, it is brutal and it is so damn sexy that your girlfriend has suddenly been relegated, or perhaps this could serve up as some rather heavy-pounding sex (use your imagination and let yourself go). 'Auto - Exterminio' will certainly appertain to the Spanish-speaking world and Thrash addicts alike, whether this enables them to tap into the wider metal domain worldwide remains another question, but given the sheer velocity and strength demonstrated here, there is no reason why they can't cause a buzz globally.

Download This: "Hidrodeath" - Click here to listen

For fans of: Slayer, Coprofago, Pentagram Chile

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

VULTURES TO CARRION
'Welcome Home'
INDEPENDENT

Metalcore? From Venezuela? You read that right, Venezuelan Metalcore. Emerging out of the dimmed streets of Caracas is quintet Vultures To Carrion with their debut EP 'Welcome Home'. Whilst sadly it is nothing news and flits between being interesting and just another Metalcore EP, it does offer an element of uniqueness that needs nurturing and refining. But as an effort it certainly deserves a nod, 'Welcome Home' can be acknowledged as having grit, sweat and blood and enough brutality to crush your head inside-out. Forgot the emo-tinged Metalcore sound that seems to bleeding the genre dry, Vultures To Carrion are of the old-guard and thus should be given some respect. It'll take some time before they break out of South America, but when they do Venezuelan Metalcore will have stamped it's authority on the world.

Download This: "This Is My Statement" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Hatebreed, After The Burial, The Black Dahlia Murder

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

SHE MUST BURN
'She Must Burn'
ARTERY REC.

If not one of the most exciting EP's of 2016, certainly a dark accompaniment to the Valentines Day activities, full of emotion, melody, aggression and blissful atmospherics. 'She Must Burn' is a mixing pot of Metalcore, Black Metal, Symphonic Metal and Gothic Metal, we call their music "Atmospheric Dark Metal" (or maybe Symphonic Blackcore) as it glimmers with erotic keyboard elements, unrelenting drums, horrific vocals (afraid, be very afraid) and riffs so ice-cold, they would freeze hell over. Whoever let this band out from the deepest depths of hell are pure geniuses, as She Must Burn are set to become the latest and coldest export out of London city since The Defiled. Tapping into each members minds and constructing lyrics around and about the emotions felt, this EP is more than just music, it's a personal statement. Collectively these personal statements lead to one solid vocal scream, the scream of here comes the apocalyptic musical storm. You have been warned.

Download This: "Possessed" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Motionless In White, Bleeding Through, Cradle of Filth, early Abigail Williams

'She Must Burn' EP is out now via Artery Recordings.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

BURIAL DUST
'Oshubho Ahobaan'
INDEPENDENT

Bestial Black Metal horde Burial Dust summon the darkest demons to aid them in creating unholy sermons of epic destruction. Hailing from the ever improving Bangladeshi Metal scene comes Burial Dust, a filthy musical collective of three metal musicians of whom bestow occultist blasphemy upon those who dare indulge in this trio's music. Raw in its production and menacing in its sound, the premier EP by Burial Dust 'Oshubho Ahobaan' (Ominous Call), will certainly get the Asian Extreme Metal followers pouring all over it, sure it's unlikely to attract considerable attention from the European faithful but this EP will certainly win some love over from the far corners of Asia. By encasing the Black Metal skeletal structure in fleshy Eastern vibes, Burial Dust herald the age of pure bestial Black Metal from the dim-lit streets of downtown Dhaka.

Download This: "Where Is Your Rahmaa" - Click here to listen

For fans of: Beherit, Mayhem, Von

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

GIRUGAMESH
'-chimera-'
GAN SHIN

Japanese Metal certainly has cemented itself as it's own recognized genre, there are no musical boundaries and visual aesthetics have no limits. So when the Japanese quartet Girugamesh dropped their latest effort '-Chimera-' there was no reservations at how good it was going to be. Defying the rules and guidelines of Metalcore, Alternative and Nu Metal collectively, the Chiba boys make no mistake in delivering what could be perceived as 'Japanese Metal release of the year'. Brutally erotic riffs lead the charge on this insanely heavy beast-of-an-album whilst the trademark Visual Kei vocals provide the aggression and whilst this is happening, the drums provide such solidarity it can be compared to a wall made of diamonds. Loathe them or hate them, Girugamesh are on the road to becoming veterans of Japanese Metal and with this effort, it is evidently clear they aren't quite done yet.

Download This: "Chimera" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: D'espairsRay, Crossfaith, Deluhi

'-Chimera-' is now out via Gan Shin Records

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

ROTTING CHRIST
'Rituals'
SEASON OF MIST

Having stood the test of time, Hellenic Black Metal pioneers Rotting Christ unleash the latest installment in their highly illustrious career. In relation to historical events and contrasting against how long metal has been around, it is pretty fair to say that Rotting Christ have done in metal what the Ancient Greeks done during the early forms in civilization and that is? Create a lasting legacy. As dark as Greece's history, Rotting Christ know a lot about success having played over 1,200 shows, released 12 albums and ultimately are still standing strong after 27 years activity. The ultimate question is who would follow Rotting Christ's footsteps from the Greek Metal scene? 'Rituals' is definitely not the last album from these musical geniuses, there is so much life still their emphatic sounds, songwriting and deliverance. 'Rituals' is a strong contender for 'Greek Metal release of the year'. Simply emphatically epic.

Download This: "In Nomine Dei Nostri" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Samael, Satyricon, Melechesh

'Rituals' is out today via Season Of Mist

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

ASGRAUW
'Krater'
HIDDEN MARLY PRODS.

If you love your Black Metal raw and so unpolished that it makes your ears bleed, then you will love the latest effort by Dutch underground Black Metal horde Asgrauw. Singing exclusively in their native Dutch language, Asgrauw revel in fuzz-laden atmospherics that are so chilling, soothing yet riveting. Granted it hasn't broken new ground and probably won't get much attention outside of the Benelux if not a few countries worldwide, it does however serve well as a truly authentic and enriched warring release. 'Krater' pays homage to not only volcanoes (as depicted by the artwork) but also the beauty of Black Metal, that you don't need to play at epic speed to achieve an epic sound. As for Asgrauw they march on into the unknown, but are assured that they are a beacon of light in the underground Dutch Metal scene.

Download This: "Krater" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Immortal, Carpathian Forest, Urgehal

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON