GMA - Vol175 - Fright Night, Genius Ultor, Odraza, Codedecoded, Eluveitie, Death Dependant, Ravenclaw, Chomalets, Gymir, Innsmouth

FRIGHT NIGHT
'Life Eternal'
SOUND AGE PRODS.

Russian Metal rarely gets a decent look in by it's Western contemporaries, so when Fright Night unveils the follow-up to their debut album 'The Play of Pain', they are sure to shock the masses. This Gothic Metal outfit employs a rather unique vocal combination, that is they use angelic female vocals alongside clean male vocals; unlike some bands who opt for growling. Maybe it is coincidental, but the vibe experienced on 'Life Eternal' matches up with the band name, as if the music was written for a Halloween opera. For a band who will be celebrating 10 years in 2015, this album certainly oozes intricate ideas that flow through the blissful riffs, elegant vocals and powerful drumming compositions, make no mistake as Fright Night's 'Life Eternal' is a contender for Russian Metal album of the year.

Download This: "Numb" - click to listen.

For Fans of: Lacuna Coil, Theatres Des Vampires, Lacrimosa

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

GENIUS ULTOR
'Nic Co Boskie Nie Jest Mi Obce'
ARACHNOPHOBIA

Ah those releases that feature songs in entirely one language, the sort that don't always break out into planet metal, but putting that aside and in context with Genius Ultor's second album
'Nic Co Boskie Nie Jest Mi Obce', what you have is a decent slab of Polish Black Metal. Right from the off, this album explodes into the cataclysmic force you would expect from such a genre. With vocals so raw it would make you want to eat your own feces, guitars so sharp they make the amps frost over with the bitterness of the genre, drums so insane ole Varg Vikernes would piss himself and all of this encased in an atmosphere that feels worse than death, yeah this is not for the faint of heart.

Download This: "Zwycięstwo" - click to listen.

For Fans of: "Anyone who can understand Polish", Stillborn, Watain

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

ODRAZA
'Esperalem Tkane'
ARACHNOPHOBIA

The same with Genius Ultor's release, Poland's Odraza adopts their native tongue to spread their raspy messages of alcoholism, depression and vanity via their premier album 'Esperalem Tkane'. Whilst as not as brutal as their label-mates, Odraza do not fail in summoning up a sound that would strike a string in any Black Metal fans heart. 'Esperalem Tkane' delivers a delicious 47 minutes of pure Polish underground Black Metal that ought to expand their name amongst the Central and Eastern European metal scenes, however whilst it might daunt some listeners, especially with two songs lasting 11 or so minutes each, the time used to listen to it all the way through pays off as this is probably the darkest BM seen in this country for sometime.

Download This: "Wielki Mizogin" - click to listen.

For Fans of: "Anyone who can understand Polish", Carpathian Forest, Watain

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

CODEDECODED
'Vorace'

Of course if you want an absolute skull-crushing sound that has enough brutality to make you vomit your innards out and in repetitiously, you only have to look as far as Greece's Codedecoded to get the full package, that is an additional punch in the face. Unleashing ballistic hell through their debut album 'Vorace', this tight Technical Death Metal unit takes no prisoners and are primed to unleash a torrent of murderous carnage across Europe with their first album in their locker. Harder than your average boner, Codedecoded are a force to be reckoned with and with this effort they clearly warrant attention, we could see much more of this ensemble in the future, but for now the slaughtering has only just begun....

Download This: "Descends" - click to listen to the whole album

For Fans of: Psycroptic, Neuraxis, Meshuggah

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

ELUVEITIE
'Origins'
NUCLEAR BLAST

The masters of Celtic-infused Melodic Death Metal have made their welcomed return with another slice of Helvetian history at the helm, following up from their sensational 2012 release 'Helvetios',
'Origins' carries on the unmistakeable Eluveitie sound that has stood them in great stead over the years. Blitzing along to a total length of one hour, listeners will never reach the state of boredom as the album is guaranteed to keep you on your feet. Vastly positioning themselves as not only a successful metal export, but as a highly regarded Swiss music export, Eluveitie have once again met expectations and have dropped an album that may just become Swiss Metal release of the year. 'Origins' is like a Celtic version of Disney's 'Fantasia', magically awe-inspiring.

Download This: "King" - click to listen

For Fans of: Primordial, Ensiferum, Blackguard

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

DEATH DEPENDANT
'Sacrifice For The Cross'

Arising from the perched surfboards on Western Australia's sun-kissed beaches is Thrash Metal merchants Death Dependant with their debut album  'Sacrifice For The Cross'. From start to finish, this four piece group dishes out the old-style Thrash Metal of the glorious 1980's, with Metallica-esque vocals leading the lightning brigade alongside outrageously insane riffs and neck-breaking drumming; Death Dependant are sure to entrench their name withing the Australian scene. Alongside the evident Thrash Metal sound, elements of Groove Metal are clearly present and as a result, this finely tunes the band's ideal sound into something metalheads globally will enjoy. Death Dependant are flying the flag for the Australian Metal scene.

Download This: "Drug Machine" - click to listen.

For Fans of: Machine Head, Metallica, Slayer

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

RAVENCLAW
'Welcome To The Ravenland' + 'Today'

Backtrack to 2009 and metalheads in Slovakia may recall the release of Ravenclaw's premier album 'Welcome To The Ravenland', a solid slab of valiant Melodic Power Metal that drags in various elements from the metal spectrum, such as Heavy Metal vocals, Power Metal keyboards and a Melodic chemistry between the instruments and vocals coincidentally. True it is nothing new, but it does have an element of originality held within it, sadly it seems to lack that killer note that otherwise would have given this album that extra boost in giving Ravenclaw European attention. Putting another downer on the album seems impossible, simply because whilst as said the album sound is nothing new, it certainly poises itself as a decent-enough effort.

Fast-forward to 2014 and the quintet have delightfully dropped their second single 'Today', and with it, their sound has become much more refined and crisper than their debut album. It also appears that they have opened up the vocal channels more, giving different members points at which to sing in and as a result allowing that extra boost they needed to push them up another level. If they keep this sound and style well and truly in place, they could well make a late charge onto the European Metal circuit as probably headliners. Rallying amongst the evident comparisons of Sonata Arctica and Hammerfall, Ravenclaw might have just discovered their winning formula.

Download This: "Today" - click to listen

For Fans of: Sonata Arctica, Hammerfall, Olzon-era Nightwish

[6.5] + [8] RHYS STEVENSON

CHOMALETS
'Omerta'

It's countries like Indonesia where Extreme Metal seems to be riding the highways and the other genres become relegated to the streets. Emerging from the abyss is Chomalets with their premier album 'Omerta', a 36-minute slab of gut-rotten, bone-crunching Death / Grind Metal. Singing exclusively in Indonesian, this four-piece butcher armada take no prisoners when it comes to blasting the masses with their gore-soaked torrent of murderous metal. With blastbeats ringing out like no tomorrow, vocals delivering rip-tides and riffs arising like ghosts out of a graveyard, Chomalets' album 'Omerta' proves itself to be a contender for Indonesian Metal album of the year. This is certainly guaranteed to go down well with metalheads of the more brutal kind.

Download This: "Parodi Hitam" - Click to listen

For Fans of: Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Napalm Death

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

GYMIR
'The Return Of The Raven'

The lack of representation of Folk Metal in the UK seems rather apparent, this is probably why bands like Gymir hold the beacon of hope and aim to bring British Folk Metal to the foreground. A year into their existence and the quintet unleashes their premier single upon the masses, 'The Return Of The Raven' is a gallant and powerful two-track release. With elements originating within the Olde English sound, you get the feeling that Gymir are aiming for a more folkloric connection, however this irony since the band name relates to Nordic myth. As for the single, no Folk Metal fan would get bored of this, in fact it is that good, Gymir's debut album (when it comes) is going to be well anticipated. Gymir are definitely a band that will be on everyone's radar in due course.

Download This: "Return Of The Raven" - click to listen

For Fans of: Finntroll, Ensiferum, Skyclad

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

INNSMOUTH
'The Shadow Over Innsmouth'
CRIME

Firing up the insane time signatures and monstrous brutality for an assault never seen before is Danish bruisers Innsmouth. If headbanging to Mathcore proves to be a tricky challenge, then headbanging to the band's debut album 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth' would require a masters degree in mathematics. From start to finish, the insane mix of erratic time signatures and gritty Death Metal is enough to place anyone into a state of complete confusion, whilst the atmosphere developed is enough to deliver that final blow that is guaranteed to knock metalheads flat out. If Necrophagist and Nile had an illegitimate son, it would be Innsmouth, sure the release is an absolute belter, but the question is can their second effort keep the band standing up and not fall at the hurdle.

Download This: "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" - click to listen

For Fans of: Nile, Cacophony, Obscura, Necrophagist

'The Shadow Over Innsmouth' is out October 10th, 2014 via Crime Records

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON