GMA - Vol179 - Gotland, Distant Past, P.T.O.M.A. Hiverna, Protokult, Fragmenta, La Dama Oscura, Warfist, Body Harvest, Sinisfear

GOTLAND
'Gloria Et Morte'

Gotland from Italy plays an exclusive mix of Italian Folk Metal with Pagan Black Metal, marking their debut is Italian Folk Metallers Gotland with their premier effort 'Gloria Et Morte' (Latin for 'Glory and Death'). Whilst the album may lead some fans under false pretenses, that is, the style of Folk Metal is not what you would expect; there are melodic metal elements running here and there throughout, especially in the vocal and melody departments, the overall perception of the album is that it strikes fear hard. If you like, 'Gloria Et Morte' captures the very essence of the power and darkness experienced during the empirical battles, dramatizing the ferociousness of the Roman Empire in its wake, now whilst Caesar may not approve, it certainly would have appealed to Caligula for it's level of monstrosity and darkness.

Download This: "Slaves Ov The Empire" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Finntroll, Amon Amarth, Septic Flesh

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

DISTANT PAST
'Utopian Void'

Switzerland's Distant Past return with their fourth studio album 'Utopian Void', adorning much of the Progressive / Melodic Heavy Metal sound that has bound them together since 2002. 'Utopian Void' is a glistening hour of pure ballsy metal with twelve tracks of grit to keep you going, granted whilst it is nothing new and is certainly not groundbreaking, it offers another slice in this sensational crossbred music genre. 'Utopian Void' delivers that almost unmistakable sound of classic metal, you know with the bellowing vocals in the Iron Maiden-esque style and music so rocking, so metal, you have no choice but to let your hair down and go completely insane! Where the quintet go on from here is one question, whether 'Utopian Void' will be beaten by a better Distant Past album is another, but for now it stands as a decent album on it's own accord.

Download This: "A Day Of Darkness" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Airbourne

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

P.T.O.M.A
'Shit Into Existence'

Finally a Thrash Metal band who takes no nonsense and delivers a sound that is what is expected of a Thrash Metal band. Greek quartet P.T.O.M.A. (Ptoma is the Greek word for 'corpse') drop their premier album 'Shit Into Existence' with such a thrashing force, it eclipses anyone involved in a boxing match. 'Shit Into Existence' is your classic Thrash Metal album, full of speed and agility that is smothered by the lovable Slayer influences. Whilst most Thrash Metal bands sing about politics, death and the cliche topics, P.T.O.M.A on the other hand cover every lads dreams... tits and fun. It's funny really because for most metalheads, metal, beer and boobs are all the rage, and yet this Greek outfit certainly jab in an element of humor, especially with track titles like 'die with titties in your face' making '50 Shades Of Grey' all of a sudden appear to be a children's bedtime story.

Download This: "Die With Titties In Your Face" - Click here to listen.

For Fans of: Slayer, Evile, Zimmers Hole

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

HIVERNA
'II. Macabre'

Quebec has a very good track record regarding Black and Folk Metal bands, so when one of it's 2004 graduates Hiverna, released their second album 'II. Macabre' this year, expectations were sure to run high and sure enough, they have delivered. Now surely the theme here is that the albums form some sort of series, especially when there are Roman numerals present, but ignoring that ideology for a second and focusing on 'II. Macabre' itself. The album delivers the elements you would expect from such a band, the galloping yet ferocious drums set the pace whilst the flute delivers the melodies that the guitars cannot seem to do, in turn the guitars deliver that crisp yet sharp sound that is demanded from a Black Metal purview. What makes 'II. Macabre' such an interesting album does not reside with the French lyrics, but more so it's connection with nature, leaving it much likened to any album by England's Winterfylleth.

Download This: 'Le Satyre' - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Winterfylleth, Eclipse Eternal, Kampfar

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

PROTOKULT
'No Beer In Heaven'

Anyone know any major Canadian beers? Because you cannot just listen to this release without a beer in your hand. 'This release' so happens to be Protokult's second album 'No Beer In Heaven', an album that exhibits a rather unique mix of Atmospheric Folk Metal with Black Metal elements. So picture this, the melodic beauty of Nightwish crashing against the blackened brutality of Windir and being entwined with the elegant happiness of Arkona, well you get the picture. Laden with angelic soprano-like female vocals alongside gnarly and clean male vocals, 'No Beer In Heaven' is a truly dynamic masterpiece, and that's just the vocals. Coupled with an emphatic array of riffs designed to melt your heart apart and drumming so juicy, it bleeds hops and fermenting grapes as to create an aromatic flavorsome production of Canadian Folk Metal, such an eclectic mix of elements will surely garner a lot of attention from around the world.

Download This: "Get Me A Beer" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Skyforger, Arkona, Nightwish

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

FRAGMENTA
'Odimorsus'

Returning with album number two is Australia's Fragmenta, of whose Thrash Metal effort 'Odimorsus' initially has a promising outlook on it, but when you realise how high you have to turn the speakers up to hear anything, positive anticipation turned into sour disappointment. Ignoring the production for now, what you have is a decent enough album that carries all the signatures you would expect from a Thrash Metal release, that is gritty vocals, crunchy riffs and bass lines. Topping out at over an hour long with twelve tracks, one of which lasting eight minutes long, is adequate evidence to say that there is something for everyone regarding the album as a whole. 'Odimorsus' may not be the album some die-hard Thrash Metal fans would expect, it is one of those left wide open to interpretation... literally. But the imagination of how this sounds live has a greater feel about it.

Download This: "Darkest Storm" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Evile, Slayer, Kreator

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

LA DAMA OSCURA
'Caminando Sobre El Fuego'
MOLUSCO PROD

Last year Spanish Heavy Metallers La Dama Oscura released their third album 'Caminando Sobre El Fuego' and naturally what comes with it is a bout of sensational songs, all in the Spanish language. In fact this such a great album if you are learning the language, or want to, because you can really connect with Spanish culture through this album (and indeed all of the band's releases); not just lyrically but musically as well. The album itself is very much wedged within the Iron Maiden universe, with the vocals being in the tenor range demonstrated by Bruce Dickinson. As for the rest of the album, it simply is the basic classic Heavy Metal sound you would expect and so thus ought to appeal to a wide range of metal music fans, listen to it and live la vida loca.

Download This: "La Hoguera" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Judas Priest

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

WARFIST
'The Devil Lives In Grünberg'
WYDAWNICTWO MUZYCZNE PSYCHO

Poland's love affair for Black Metal and Thrash Metal continues with Warfist's latest offering 'The Devil Lives In Grünberg' (the German name for the Polish town of Zielona Góra) - the trio from
Zielona Góra (yes you guessed it right) - have rustled up another serving of Black / Thrash Metal, but with a tendency to lean more towards the latter genre. The thing is, it's nothing new and it sits well and truly within the generic sound you would expect, some would even go as far as calling it a shame to abuse their town name like that. The only thing that can be really said about 'The Devil Lives In Grünberg' is that it is a decent release, that is all. For a band celebrating ten years, you'd have thought there would have been a greater presence on the album, in a contradiction-context however it is there, just not all the time. Make of it what you will, it just simply does not completely impress.

Download This: "The Devil Lives In Grünberg" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Deströyer 666, Toxic Holocaust, Skeletonwitch

[6] RHYS STEVENSON

BODY HARVEST
'Futile Creation'
GRINDHOUSE MUSIC

Murderous and cranial crushing comes to mind when devouring Body Harvest's debut apocalyptic album 'Futile Creation', from the word go this release will have you begging for mummy more than you did when you were a baby. 'Futile Creation' draws in elements from the Grindcore and Brutal Death Metal sub-genre's and thus combined together produces a musical onslaught of blood-splattered riffs, gut-rotten vocals and seismic drumming, all of which provides itself as a perfect soundtrack to any Saw movie. Funnily enough in recent times, Bristol has become a hotbed for some of the grizzliest bands ever to have emerged in the Death Metal and Thrash Metal styles, so with Body Harvest now a firm family member of the Bristolian metal clan, we can expect a lot more from these guys in times ahead.

Download This: "Condemned To Suffer" - click here to listen

For Fans of: The Berzerker, Suffocation, Hour of Penance

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

SINISFEAR
'Reigning Death'

Drilling their flag of Death Metal in to the Canadian soil is Sinisfear with their premier EP 'Reigning Death', a colossal slamming of subterfuge in 25 minutes. We say subterfuge, because it is more like Deathgrind than actual Death Metal, but even so it is a rather interesting release to say the least. With squealing guitars forming a glut of whine on 'Wretched Stench' and guttural vocals imminent on every single song, this is an EP of all sorts. The downside is that at times it seems as if the music is going nowhere and has too much going on in such a short space of time, leaving the EP in the corner feeling sorry for itself. That does not mean to say it is trash, just that it lacks that punchline to label it a release of promising things yet to come, Sinisfear need to rethink their next offering otherwise it might as well be game over.

Download This: "Wretched Stench" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Death Metal... ish

[5] RHYS STEVENSON