GMA - Vol132 - Our Last Enemy, Acolyte, Killotine, Drawzznikk, Cryptik Howling, Aeternum, Human Waste Disposal Unit, Duobetic Homunkulus, The Resistance, Asylum Pyre

OUR LAST ENEMY
'Fallen Empires' + 'Wolves Of Perigord'
RIOT! ENTERTAINMENT

Modern Cyber Metal right at the tips of your tongues comes from Australia's hottest new property, kicking off with their debut album which dropped 3 years ago, 'Fallen Empires' employs a solid torrential outburst of technical gothic metalcore at it's highest peak, but the funny thing about the music is that it covers a myriad of sounds and so the genre-tagging becomes almost impossible. 'Fallen Empires' delivers seventeen tracks (some clips) of some of the greatest fusion metal you can ever come across, produced by Christian Wolbers (Mnemic, Fear Factory, etc) it was always likely that Our Last Enemy would spew out an album that would sound on the same part as the Danish modern metallers and American Industrial legends. Moving onto 2012 and the sophomore release comes in the form of the band's first ever EP 'Wolves Of Perigord', this time the band deliver a far heavier explosive mix of metal music and pure angst, the clever thing that works here simply is the layering of Metalcore on top of a synthetic bed and yet employs a gothic look and a Industrial Death Metal feel, so they are not Motionless In White mixed with Strapping Young Lad, they are in fact the brutal truth that they are the kings of modern cyber metal. 'Wolves Of Perigord' spits metallic venom right at the fire that burns as a beacon of their demise, for Our Last Enemy are destined to smash the sound barrier in 2013.

Download These: "Pariah BC" + "Wolves Of Perigord"
For Fans of: Strapping Young Lad, Motionless In White, Mnemic

[8] + [9] RHYS STEVENSON

ACOLYTE
'Alta'
MORDGRIMM

Following a similar path to fellow Manchester Black metal band Winterfylleth, newcomers Acolyte are proving themselves to be hot property in 2013, vastly picking up notice from many across the metal music spectrum the bands debut album 'Alta' explodes in an interesting style, plucking elegant grooves that would make your grandmother dance more than gangnam style and lashing it with shrieking Black metal that would make any fight between Manchester United and Liverpool fans seem like children happy slapping, enough silly talk. Acolyte do more than play pretty music, they make the UK metal scene pretty and with 'Alta' on the horizon, days will get darker than your average black coffee. Conjuring up relating sounds to that of Enslaved and Opeth, this could be Manchester's darkest hour.

For fans of: Enslaved, Opeth, Deathspell Omega

'Alta' is out 7th May 2013 via Mordgrimm Records

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

KAINE / OSMIUM GUILLOTINE
'Killotine'

This does not always happen, but when this sort of thing does, boy can it explode more than fireworks on bonfire night. What we have here is a magnificent split or orchestration by two of Essex's finest NWOBHM bands, Kaine and Osmium Guillotine, who when they digivolve together become Killotine. Displaying their classic Heavy Metal persona, both bands dive into four cover songs, one song by both bands respectively and a cover of 'Prowler' (Iron Maiden) and N.I.B. (Black Sabbath), now whilst this is a relatively short release, it has an element of class on it that perhaps Iron Maiden or Black Sabbath couldn't muster, instead if they whiffed the release then they would applaud it, not to mention that both bands are similar in style, sound and setup, but more so attitude and so what the Killotine split does is it exemplifies why British Heavy Metal was and always will be a cultural heritage icon. Arm the masses, raise the axes, man the fortress, this is a bloody war of riffs, drum beats and insane vocals.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

DRAWZZNIKK
'Wings'
HEART OF STEEL

Austria is not usually known for it's production of classic Heavy Metal bands, so it comes as a little bit of a surprise when 2013 delivers the debut EP 'Wings' by Drawzznikk and what immediately draws attention to this release is that there are two female vocalists commanding the frontline on this release. Seeing one female vocalist is different, but two? Just makes the EP that one bit more extra special. 'Wings' summons up the best the band can deliver, sure the vocals do not match the virtuoso states of Kobra & The Lotus or Sister Sin, but the vocals still pack a sensational range, the only let down to the EP is the weak recording of the drums, although bizarrely it adds a sort of classic rock style to it, so perhaps Drawzznikk may need to work on saddling themselves between AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath because this is Hard Rock / Heavy Metal, highway to hell!

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

CRYPTIK HOWLING
'Synthetic Ascension Design'

Amassing a myriad of complex sounds and bolting them together can be at times a struggle for musicians, but bands like Cryptik Howling make it seem so simple. Developing an audio blast that consists of symphonic elements and melodic black metal, that covered by a Behemoth-esque visage gives this band an element of excitement not explored by past extreme metal bands. Their upcoming album 'Synthetic Ascension Design' demolishes anything living in it's path by spewing out pure Québécois darkness, taking evidential influences from bands like Cradle of Filth, Twilight Ophera and Satyricon, this is the new sound of Symphonic Extreme Metal. Double bass drumming blitzing at insane speed is just the beginning, the vocals shred you apart like a wolf desecrating the dying prey and the guitars slash open your heart to kill of any happiness you withhold, so before checking this band out, make your you have life insurance, your going to need it!

'Synthetic Ascension Design' is out 10th April 2013

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

AETERNUM
'Through death we ascend'

2012 saw the sewers of London arise from the chaotic production that comes from the EP that Aeternum released, from start to finish the release will captivate and entertain fans of Blackened Death Metal alike, the raw sounds that kill the bleak atmosphere at the end of the release originates from the slithering through of the various compositions found on the release which are designed to eradicate any senses the listener may have left after the first song is finished, the band itself delinquently offers unique influences ranging from black metal to death metal, as the EP itself speaks wonders through and through from the first note to the last sound, but at times can sound a little bad, especially on the production level where a storm of unintelligible sound rots the very essence of music, but overall regardless of the negativeness, of which there is very minimal to remark on, leaves the positives gleaming brightly, leaving the listener swallowed up in a darkened atmosphere and the band themselves on a path of music maturity, what will come in 2013 is anyone's guess, but the music that prevails within these musicians beckons it.

[6] RHYS STEVENSON

HUMAN WASTE DISPOSAL UNIT
'New Beginning'

The Nordic countries are one of the greatest collective power houses of metal music, no doubt, but from time to time the machine that is Finland will spew out a band that delivers a musical selection that is as sweet as their beloved confectionery. Human Waste Disposal Unit are the metallic diseases designed to deliver brutal moshing intent, how fortunate it is that their sophomore album 'New Beginning' spews out elements of Devin Townsend, Alice In Chains and Iron Maiden rolled into one sonic blast of epic Finnish metal. From the technical creativity of the Canadian mastermind Devin Townsend, the powerful vocals of Alice In Chains and the composure of Iron Maiden, comes this eight-legged metal machine, signalling a 'New Beginning' for the Finnish metal scene.

Download This: "Sad Clown"

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

DUOBETIC HOMUNKULUS
'Ani Já Ani Ty Robit Něbudzeme, šedněme Do Koča, Vozit še Budzeme'
ZERO BUDGET PRODS.

Eight years have passed since the formation of the Czech eccentric duo Duobetic Homunkulus and come 2013 the debut album 'Ani Já Ani Ty Robit Něbudzeme, šedněme Do Koča, Vozit še Budzeme' (something in English) finally drops, with it comes an atomic explosion, as if Prague finally woke up one morning to the heavenly smell of marijuana, simply said the release is as crazy and eccentric as Devin Townsend's facial expressions - extraordinarily different. Duobetic Homunkulus deploy a progressive-tinged Technical Death sound that together armed with their native language is strangely effective in brutal context, the vocals deliver a boom after boom approach and the music finishes of the release nicely with lashings of intricate riffing and sensational drumming, but the core of the album is the happy dappy Tech Death feeling that is delivered from the keyboard melodies and everything that is not expected from a Tech Death Metal band, instead the band are simply pushing boundaries.

Download This: "Když Muž se Strojem Snídá"

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

THE RESISTANCE
'Scars'
EARMUSIC

One of the most highly anticipated Death Metal albums to surface from the plethora of Swedish bands is 'Scars' by The Resistance, an instantaneous demolition of punishing and crushing riffs smother the atmosphere in so much  detail that it takes the ballistic drumming and vicious vocal compositions to totally suffocate anyone who dare opposes this beast of mass proportions. Fueled by the coalescing forces that come from the four members of whom served for notable bands like The Haunted, Grave and In Flames (can anyone handle a force that epic?), The Resistance are fighting against the tidal waves of Death Metal bands that are picked out from the megalithic USA, in fact this may be Sweden's finest hour of Death Metal ever since Unleashed took their first outing and the former is sure to see more of this emphatic armada.

'Scars' is out via earMusic on 10th May 2013

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

ASYLUM PYRE
'Fifty Years Later'
MASSACRE

Back in 2012 French Progressive Power Metal quintet made their welcomed return with their second offering, their sophomore full length 'Fifty Years Later'. Instantly striking the epic sound of the heavenly female vocals that seem to course throughout the metal music world, but what is amazing about the vocals applied here is that there is a sharp sense of dramatic emphasis on the singing style, that backed up by the thunderous operatic clash of the drums and guitars, interweaving together to create a sound that would be effective as the soundtrack to a modernized version of the phantom of the opera, but more importantly a sound that will carry the band forward to greater achievements in the many years ahead, that said its no longer a matter of fifty shades of grey, but more so 'Fifty Years Later'.

Download This: "These Trees"

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON