GMA - Vol155 - Eteddian, Morbid Vomit, Infestis, Norrsköld, Frozen Hell, Megahera, Bliss Of Flesh, Hammer Persuasion, Inzenith, Enmachined

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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