GMA - Vol138 - Zaria, Frailty, Derelict, Abyssus, Relicseed, The Summa In Verse, Silvercast, System Overthrow, Northerion, Raw Ensemble

ZARIA
'Sij Obzorja'

Folk Metal towards Central and Eastern Europe generally takes on the form of being influenced by Slavic culture and sounds and Zaria are no exception, taking on their national cultural sound and lashing it to Folk Metal gives the debut EP 'Sij Obzorja' (Translates as "Glow Of The Horizon") its authentic and emotional attachment to the identity of the Slovene nationality. Sure the sextet Zaria from Medvode take no issues when producing this magnificent work of musical art, oddly enough the EP be somewhat likened to their fellow countrymen Aperion, although the latter is more Symphonic Metal. But for Zaria and 'Sij Obzorja' this is a huge step to gaining recognition outside of Slovenia and with the majestic elements one hears from this EP, that some how relates to music found in the Shire scenes of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, shall power the band on towards greater things in the future.

Download This: "Njun Svet"

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

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FRAILTY
'Melpomene'
ARX PRODS.

It was four years since the debut album by Frailty and now the Latvian Death Metal / Doom Metal sextet make their welcomed return once again with their latest album 'Melpomene', kicking off with some harsh bitter vocals that set the tone for the rest of the band to follow by and in doing so they create a  darkened bleak atmosphere that would send chills down anyone's spine. 'Melpomene' keeps the listener occupied with the average song length being around the 7 minute to 8 minute mark, however the breadth of the release is sensational, for once Frailty are now on the rightful track to shed their music over the European lands and with 'Melpomene' firmly in the forefront, there is nothing to stop this megalithic monster from reaching the metal masses.

Download This: "Cold Sky"

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

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DERELICT
'Perpetuation'

Taking into account a complex algorithm of matrices is never easy, especially in the musical context of piecing technically laden Death Metal with a myriad of differentiating influences from song to song, such an example is Derelict of whom last year melted faces with their third onslaught of mathematical death metal. 'Perpetuation' delivers a non-stop rally of face-punching music that would make any professional boxer look like a soft lad dancing around in the ring wearing a tutu and lashings of pink. So what does Derelict take to make 'Perpetuation' thee album from which the European labels should sniff at? Simple, Strapping Young Lad, DevilDriver, Neuraxis and Beneath the Massacre at a premium, however they brandish their own unique style on the complex music genre and as a result are primed to obliterate any pathetic excuse to why they are not simply Canada's latest and greatest modern metal export.

Download This: "Spoils Of War"

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

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ABYSSUS
'Monarch To The Kingdom Of The Dead'

2012 saw the premier release of 'Monarch To The Kingdom Of The Dead' take flight, it is the debut EP by Greek Death Metal mob and sad to say is not an all thumbs up release either, the riffs deliver a sharp and composite approach which, alongside the drums, acts as a force that even Golden Dawn could not comprehend, however the let down is the vocals as they are not well executed and need more growling to be inserted, in fact they are so bad the Ancient Greeks would not be impressed by the power exerted here and so the EP loses much of its luster. On a plus note, the music is original and for those Death Metal fans, it may well be a good listen, but for the benefit of the doubt it is questionable.

Download This: "Left To Suffer"

[6.5] RHYS STEVENSON

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RELICSEED
'Upcoming Second Studio Album Promo EP'

Heavy Industrial Thrashers Relicseed unveil their magical works to come via a promo EP for their upcoming album out in Autumn. What fans can expect is blistering paced drumming, industrial funk and heavy vocals, all of which when together create a wall of sound that would blast any hole in any speaker that the music comes into contact with. With influences ranging from Metallica, Machine Head, Slipknot and Rammstein, listeners can expect a whole selection of different song structures and musical sounds whilst the Latvian four-piece retain that signature sound they have created over the years, and that's just the promo EP! Bring on number 2!

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

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THE SUMMA IN VERSE
'When In Limbo'

Trance Metalcore seems to be a hit or miss genre, you either get it nailed on sounding right or end up like another Asking Alexandria clone, but down in the underground streets of Bristol a project (hoping to be a band) is born under the moniker of The Summa In Verse. Putting together the electic elements of Hard Trance with some elaborate synthesizers cutting through the electromagnetic surge that courses through each track and then bolting clean and harsh vocals to the mix, this is some cutting edge stuff. 'When In Limbo' is what it says, in limbo between the electronic-sphere and the metalcore legion and what separates this project from the crowd is the unique layering going on, such a winning formula should garner this young musician some attention in the times ahead, in the near future.

Download This: "Into The Inferno"

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

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SILVERCAST
'Chaos Engines'

For those who love their Gothic Metal full of power, bouncy elements and emotional connectivity, then Silvercast's 'Chaos Engines' is for you, unleashed by the Russian quintet the debut album has a number of exciting elements to it from the technical parts in the song 'Mechanical Heart' to the soft elegance experienced on 'В Лабиринте', sure the latter is in Russian but the album itself is a mixture of the Russian and English language, so one can expect the album to be culturally diverse. Even so, the keyboards add a calming feel to the aggressive drumming sequences and the savage swift riff production, all in all 'Chaos Engines' is a well crafted musical piece that should aspire many in St Petersburg to follow suit.

Download This: "The Name Of Chaos"

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

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SYSTEM OVERTHROW   
'System Overthrow'

Well the truth is you're not meant to be disappointed at the first part of a release, but sadly this is the case for System Overthrow's debut self-titled demo. The instantaneous negativity that smacks you in the face is the inescapable realization that the volume quality is merely abysmal, if you krank the volume up more you can hear a band that fashions the classic frenzy known as Thrash Metal and produces a well worked recording, but with that the consensus is that this is basic Thrash Metal with no real deviation from the plethora that swamps the metal music community of modern times, maybe System Overthrow will get better on their next release, but for now there is room for improvement.

[6.5] RHYS STEVENSON

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NORTHERION
'Silent Screams'

Here again just another generic Melodic Heavy Metal band, Northerion made their mark last year by releasing their debut album 'Silent Screams' and what is featured on this album is ideally no keyboard elements just bog standard Heavy Metal with melodies circulating the standard instruments themselves, leaving somewhat a disappointing feeling. Perhaps if German beer was a little stronger, so would the music be, but on the other hand it cannot be decried as a total flop because the music itself is knit tightly so that any attempt to crush the music before fully dissecting it would be a mission impossible. What is possible though is for this band to seriously consider restructuring their sound to make it what it says it is.

Download This: "Out Of The Light"

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

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RAW ENSEMBLE
'Jesus Is Back.... And He Is Fucking Angry'

2012 gave birth to a new German Thrash Metal release, 'Jesus Is Back.... And He Is Fucking Angry' by quartet Raw Ensemble. What pursues next is a colossal explosion of gnarly vocals and the signature Teutonic Thrash Metal caricature, with that in mind the band opt for a more religious and evil approach rather than the political stance some Thrashers adopt. They call their music 'Blasting Thrash Metal' and they aren't half wrong, fueled by unrelenting percussion and bulldozing riffs that would make your generic headbanging style look like a pansies dance. Infectious and insanely fast is what this mob have aimed for and successfully delivered, so expect similarities with bands like Slayer and the whole 80's Thrash Metal era.

Download This: "Jesus Is Back..."

[8] RHYS STEVENSON