GMA - Vol169 - Trobar, Expain, Erase, Damnatör, Edenfall, Underground, Crimson Death, Darmage, Thorn Burial, The Furor

TROBAR
'Charivari'

Folk Metal is a music genre that makes you want to just set up a campfire, dance around it and eat marshmallows and enjoy the wilderness. Well with that adventure, Trobar's debut album 'Charivari' certainly poises itself as the perfect accompaniment. Far from being the typical bouncy and jumpy Folk Metal release, 'Charivari' for starters is sung in the French language and thus sticks by their traditional Québécois heritage. Moreover it would appear they have drinking and generic Canadian references going on, but as far the music is concerned it really gets you dancing. Sure the band might not garner a massive amount of international recognition, but they will go down well within the Francophone metal scenes. Gritty vocals lead the line, whilst the drums set the pace, guitars give the music that sharp edge and naturally the hurdy-gurdy and flute give the music atmosphere.
'Charivari' addresses and represents what Québécois heritage is all about.

Download This: "Le Sacrifice"

For Fans of: Eluveitie, Finntroll, Heidevolk

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

EXPAIN
'Just The Tip'

Hold on to your balls, for Expain could be positioned as Canada's next great metal export. Evidently going by their ferociously captivating debut album 'Just The Tip', the quintet slap together a masochistic mixture of blazing riffs, supersonic drumming, sexy solo's and vocals so brutal it would make your last hangover as weak as Justin Bieber banging one out. Come on they mix jazz elements, that surely has to receive numerous acknowledgements, but also through the various sounds and lyric topics employed, this album is a party on it's own. Let's be honest, 'Just The Tip' is a bloody good starting position for this troupe and as they mark their first year of existence, we could well see much more of this face-punching ensemble. Modern Hybrid Metal at it's finest.

Download This: "Idol Worship"

For Fans of: Slayer, Voivod, Strapping Young Lad, Communic

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

ERASE
'Erase'

Erase deliver a no nonsense form of Heavy Metal that is found to be emanating from the deepest levels of the Parthenon, moreover when speaking of their debut EP, you cannot mistake it for a classic Heavy Metal release, because it is. Rampant and powerful drums lead the back-line, whilst the sizzling riffs cook up a sound that would make people plate smashing go weak at the knees. The vocals are of the classic Bruce Dickinson guild and when layered on top of the music, forms a release that is sure to appeal to many. At times there is evident influences from the Hard Rock sector in particular from bands like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, moreover their cover of Bitch's "Damnation Alley" goes done very well indeed. Erase are flying the flag high for the Greek Metal scene.

Download This: "Damnation Alley (Bitch Cover)"

For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

DAMNATÖR
'Unchain The Plague'

We know there are fans out there who indulge in the far more raw, underground and unclean sound of Black Metal and indeed Blackened Thrash Metal for that matter, so when Finnish newbies Damnatör make their mark with their premier demo 'Unchain The Plague', the instantaneous feeling that arises from it is one of optimism and gratification. Because the recording is low-fi and thus hence gives it that authenticity as a true underground metal release. 'Unchain The Plague' spews out barbaric riffs surrounded by frost-bitten vocals and apocalyptic drumming, now if you thought Behexen were dark enough for Black Metal, Damnatör are not too far behind them.

Download This: "Baptized In Profanity"

For Fans of: Behexen, Deströyer 666, Beherit

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

EDENFALL
'Under Sultry Moons & Velvet Skies'
RAVENHEART

Gothic Doom Metal is an acquired taste, thus henceforth when listening to these types of bands it always helps to think along the lines of Black Sabbath and Paradise Lost. Even for English Metallers Edenfall, the ideology is still the same. Making their welcome return by unleashing their second release 'Under Sultry Moons & Velvet Skies' upon the masses, what the quintet do here is create a Doom Metal embodiment and coat it with Gothic Metal influences, such as the heavenly vocals and melodies. Topping out at a mammoth 77 minutes, you will certainly be spoiled for choice when it comes to listening to the album; with two 13 minute epics in tow, this is a release not to be dismissed. Edenfall are the new face of English Gothic Doom Metal, and they are here to stay.

Download This: "Obsidian"

For Fans of: Paradise Lost, Lacuna Coil, Black Sabbath

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

UNDERGROUND
'2014 Demo'

Fresh out of the Slovenian Metal scene, Heavy Metal bruisers Underground have arisen from the abyss to unleash all mighty hell via their first ever demo - simply entitled '2014 Demo'. What you have here is 13 minutes of Heavy Metal slapped together with influences drawn from the Speed Metal and Thrash Metal styles. Now if this band was to carry on with this style they've created, then they may well be landed with a record label deal within the next two years. For there demo shows a lot of promise and may well lead them to follow fellow-countrymen Negligence into breaking out into the European Metal scene. With an array of fluctuating riffs, flavored vocals and solid drumming, Underground are the new kids on the block.

Download This: "Horrors of the Past"

For Fans of: Judas Priest, Motorhead, Iron Maiden

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

CRIMSON DEATH
'Fleshdance'
7 HARD

2 years ago may seem a long while ago, but in terms of music it is a lot shorter than you would think. In 2012 Germany's gore fanatics Crimson Death unleashed their premier album 'Fleshdance' and what comes with it is 42 minutes worth of gore-gutted and gut-rotten Death Metal that would make any autopsy seem to become a sick and disturbed hobby. However the downside to the album is that at times the songs sound too generic Death Metal and thus lose any impetus generated from the preceding songs, but on an overall scope the landscape is bloody red, the senses murdered and the entire feeling of the album is worse than any Saw film. Crimson Death are not your average Death Metal band, they are your average Crimson Death Metal band.

Download This: "Conscious Deception"

For Fans of: Cannibal Corpse, Cerebral Bore, Debauchery

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

DARMAGE
'La Caída De Los Ídolos'


If DevilDriver and Machine Head ever produced a baby, then Darmage would be the offspring. Because fusing Groove Metal and Thrash Metal together requires a level of precision that results in the deliverance of a full-smacking of raucous vocals, mauling riffs and ferocious brutality unleashed on the drums. Darmage's debut album "La Caída de los Ídolos" does exactly that, sure the release may cause an issue for those non-Spanish speakers, but the music does the talking and thus will appeal to anyone who loves their metal so hard and heavy, your latest orgy and dump will seem infantile in comparison to this release. Darmage are certainly set to rock the foundations of the Spanish Metal scene, and with their first album could well dominate South America as their ideal focal point.

Download This: "Enemigos De La Reflexión"

For Fans of: DevilDriver, Machine Head, Cavalera Conspiracy

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

THORN BURIAL
'Pleasured By Rage'

For all their attempts at producing a release with sensational power and fury, Greece's Thorn Burial ultimately fail to come out of the starting blocks. Their 2014 EP 'Pleasured By Rage' aims to deliver a crushing Thrash Metal sound, the downside in the process of this is that whilst the riffs and drums do the killing justice, the vocals lack that tenacity that would make this release more credible, despite the irritation experienced through the unfortunate consistency of slowing down and picking up speed. Moreover this is done without any decent transition and thus leaves the listener questioning whether to head-bang and mosh or perform the paso doble and drink to this sorrowful attempt. Back to the drawing board it is.

Download This (if you really want to...): "Sarcovore"

For Fans of: Poorly-structured Thrash Metal.

[4.5] RHYS STEVENSON

THE FUROR
'Impending Revelation'

Australia's veteran Blackened Death Metaller Louis Rando (Disaster) has summoned up once again another serving of war-torn maniacal hell via his fourth album 'Impending Revelation'. Impiety's drumming magician has done a superb job at carrying on this majestic project, with the enlisted help of Jarrod Curley, Mark De Vattimo, The General and Lynton Cessford, The Furor blasts out a rally-after-rally of war-torn metal. Sure at times the vocals get stripped away from the stickiness of the instruments, but this is what The Furor has always done, smouldering-hot riffs and solo's boil over the cloaked drums and raspy vocals, so much so what is left is a truly remarkable piece of musicianship. Here's to another 10 years of Australia's finest underground metal project, The Furor.

Download This: "Black Sorcerer Of Sadism"

For Fans of: Immortal, Suffocation, Impiety

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON