GMA - Vol172 - Agharti, All This Filth, Seventh Sin, Pyrah, Suotana, Drathoth, Mandrágora, Levania, Aeranea, Massive Demolition

AGHARTI
'Change'
WORMHOLEDEATH

It's not often that you come across a band that totally obliterates everything in it's path, well Agharti's debut album 'Change' certainly ticks all the boxes for "album you must own". The Croatian sextet weave together a face-melting concoction of emphatic melodies, romantic beauty-and-the-beast style vocals, knife-edge riffs and hollow drumming, producing a sound that is sure to push their name across the European continent. With hints of Evanescence, Within Temptation and Sirenia coursing throughout the album, you would be silly to ignore this beautiful red rose. Agharti have poised themselves as one of Croatia's hottest properties and with this effort, are sure to catapult them into the limelight, this is their finest hour.

Download This: "End Of Your Domination"

For Fans of: Evanescence, Sirenia, Within Temptation,

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

ALL THIS FILTH
'Programmed To Suffer'

Australian new kids on the block All This Filth dropped their debut demo last year and with it comes a skull-smashing lump of gritty Death / Thrash Metal laden with Groove Metal elements. Seriously this release punches your face in so hard you will eat yourself to death. 'Programmed To Suffer' literally speaks of what is wrong with the world, that everyone is told what to f**king do and so we suffer by being programmed as robots. Well from this release, as pissed off as it is, All This Filth provide the soundtrack to keep you sane and rid you of anger. Ballistic drumming supplements the disgusting riffs that course through and underneath the sickening vocals and vulgar atmosphere. You have been warned, this is not a release to f**k around with.

Download This: "Two Faced"

For Fans of: Chimaira, Machine Head, DevilDriver

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

SEVENTH SIN
'When Reality Ends'

So thirteen years after the band's inception, Seventh Sin unleash their premier album and to a slightly negative note in that it doesn't escape the clutches of the generic Gothic Metal album trap. Granted
'When Reality Ends' is a decent release, but it's nothing new the sound. At times the album gets so slow, you could easily fall asleep, whether that is a good thing or a bad thing depends upon your perception. Seventh Sin however have delivered a decent enough album, just not one to have the potential of a label deal, but take in the moment because it certainly is one album that speaks volumes, literally.

Download This: "Silent Tears"

For Fans of: Delain, Lacuna Coil, "European Gothic Metal"

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

PYRAH
'Where Am I?'

The sad thing about Pyrah's debut album 'Where Am I?' is that it flits about too much, that is it is a rather unconventional and unforgiving style of Progressive Metal. At times it seems lost and whilst the vocals deliver an angelic presence, the music needs harnessing and not being let run riot. Make of it what you will, but even the harsh vocals totally ruin the album - especially when placed next to clean vocals. 'Where Am I?' may well be a decent enough effort, but it just does not cut it and would make any die-hard Progressive Metal fan weep in their sleep. It seems too basic and lacks that convincing element that otherwise might have given it more credibility.

Download This: "Reflection"

For Fans of: "who knows?", Progressive Metal, "basic music"

[4.5] RHYS STEVENSON

SUOTANA
'Forgotten Soil Of This Land'

There is much more to Lapland than just Santa Claus, reindeer, Lordi and the Arctic Circle. Arising from the snow-covered lands of Northern Finland are a sextet by the name of Suotana. Nine years since their inception and finally their premier demo see's the harsh light, 'Forgotten Soil Of This Land' promises to take you on a whirlwind journey through and across the mountains with the sounds of Melodic Black / Death Metal ringing all around. For those who are into that style of metal, be prepared to be blasted with an atmosphere so cold, vocals so bitter, riffs so sharp, keyboard elements so chilling and drumming so powerful, that adding these all together sums up to make a release worthy of a record label deal.

Download This: "The Reason"

For Fans of: Hecate Enthroned, Keep of Kalessin, "Arctic Metal"

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

DRATHOTH
'Demo 2014'

It's not often you find a Black Metal band in the Middle East that delivers such a fantastic sound and yet slips in a raw and thick atmosphere, so thick it would choke your airways. Fresh from the sand dunes of The Lebanon, the one-man project Drathoth which is lead by musician Eddy Ferekh, delivers a rather grizzly yet mesmerizing sound that ought to appeal to many fans of the more Atmospheric Black Metal style. 'Demo 2014' features three tracks of some rather calming yet aggressive music that lasts for 20 minutes. So if you want something that sends chills up your spine, makes you calm and has something for you to listen to when going into town, Drathoth's 'Demo 2014' is for you.

Download This: "As The Moon Rises"

For Fans of: Atmospheric Black Metal

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

MANDRÁGORA
'First Attack'
INKAS NOIZE

Forget Llamas and Alpaca's for one moment, because Peru have a new addition to the Metal music family, well relatively new. Dropping their first ever EP, Heavy Metallers Mandrágora deliver a jaw-smacking punch of classic Iron Maiden-esque metal with female vocals so crushing, it's enough to make you pee your pants. With two tracks leading the charge, it is a fairly short EP, but what it lacks in length it makes up for quality. Now let's say they were likened to footballers, they would have Lionel Messi's elegance, David Luiz's powerful striking ability and an atmosphere equivalent to that of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Mandrágora are flying the flag for the Peruvian Metal scene with this enjoyable-to-the-full release.

Download This: "Snakebite"

For Fans of: Doro, Iron Maiden, Saxon

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

LEVANIA
'Renascentis'
WORMHOLEDEATH

The love affair between Italians and Gothic Metal is always destined to produce some rather magical music and bands, Levania sit firmly within that notion. Making their welcomed return with their second album 'Renascentis', the female-fronted quintet do not fail to impress with their unique concoction of angelic and beastly vocals, dramatic atmosphere and breathtaking musical elements. If you're a Gothic Metal fan, then you have no reason to not own this release because it simply puts Lacuna Coil to shame. 'Renascentis' guarantees you dramatic twists and turns at every second, it may be early to say but this is definitely a contender for Italian Metal album of the year, simply because when you listen to it, you cannot find the words to befit the emotions experienced, this is Levania's time to break into the global metal arena with their striking Epic Gothic Metal sound.

Download This: "An Icy Embrace"

For Fans of: Lacuna Coil, Elis, Sara Lee, Within Temptation

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

AERANEA
'As The Sun Died'

It always seems to amaze that when bands who employ the Gothic / Doom Metal style, they tend to place the Doom Metal elements as the atmosphere and the Gothic Metal elements at the forefront. However Aeranea have taken a slightly different approach, they've mixed both together so that they do not remain fixed to one duty. 'As The Sun Died' is the premier album by this German unit and instantly gives a lot of promise for the band's time ahead, with Christina Vogt's calming vocals easing the sharpness of the riffs and drums, this is a release that ought to give Aeranea that push needed in order to break out into the European scene. One evident difference is that the songs aren't insanely long unlike other Gothic Doom contemporaries, moreover there is definitely high hopes for this band, watch with interest.

Download This: "Prayers Die"

For Fans of: My Dying Bridge, Flowing Tears, To Cast A Shadow

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

MASSIVE DEMOLITION
'Ritual Inferno'

Word of warning, turn up the volume before indulging in Massive Demolition's second demo. The recording quality is not what you would expect, albeit you probably would as their second release
'Ritual Inferno' is actually a demo. Sparking off their chosen style of Thrash Metal, the German quartet do not dice with fate or intellectual instinct, instead with their demo they take off the handbrake and let the classics of Thrash Metal spew out like an over-flowing blood-bath, the downside to this is that it sounds too generic for it to be unique and thus whilst there is a level of effort and creativity residing in the release, it is nowhere near enough to be considered groundbreaking, just a decent enough release.

Download This: "Chemical Abuse"

For Fans of: German 'Teutonic' Thrash Metal

[6] RHYS STEVENSON