GMA - Vol195 - Beyond Chronicles, La Horde, Invoker, Forklift Elevator, Nicrotek, Black Royal, Under The Abyss, Chaos Before Gea, Ósserp, Justabeli

BEYOND CHRONICLES
'Shatter'
INDEPENDENT

High hopes have been placed on the French outfit known as Beyond Chronicles, well with their premier EP 'Shatter' carrying such a convincing sound that in basketball-terms would be considered a slam-dunk, you would have to be stupid to write this group off. Never has French Melodic Death Metal been so exciting, from the rhythmic architecture providing the basis for the guitars, vocals and bass to unleash themselves upon to the slight hint of Modern Metal creeping in, 'Shatter' is a release that will shake the very foundations of the European Metal circuit. Essentially 'Shatter' is as rich in fresh potential for success as much as Sèvres goaded the world of porcelain, Beyond Chronicles are one band to watch for the future, no mistake about it they will go far and will gain acclaimed attention from across Europe.

Download this: "Born To Die" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Marionette, Deals Death, Sight Of Emptiness

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

LA HORDE
'Dystopie'
FANTAI'ZIC PRODS.

Comme-ci comme-ça, or like this like that. That is what springs to mind when pouring over La Horde's second album 'Dystopie', this French unit explore the various avenues of Thrash, Punk and Hardcore to muster up a violent, abrasive and unruly splattering of Thrashcore; but with more Hardcore than Thrash. Bolting together their sound with the romance of the French language is like dressing up a female Black Metal fan in a pink flowery dress, one is brutal and the other elegant. But despite this conflicting analogy (think black rose), 'Dystopie' is a full-on stomping album that would appeal to any fan of old-school Hardcore and modern-Thrash; it is what it says it is, a take-on what life will be like if humanity keeps heading down the yellow-brick road, except La Horde will lead the horde. 'Dystopie' is a decent enough release, it is not groundbreaking or cutting edge, but it will do for now.

Download This: "Chan Chan" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Hatebreed, Scarred By Beauty, Skreamer

'Dystopie' is out 5th October via Fantai'zic Productions and all major online outlets

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

INVOKER
'Aeon'
NON SERVIAM

Germany has a long history with producing some of the finest Black / Death Metal acts and Invoker continue that legacy by returning with their second offering 'Aeon'. Whilst the vocals continue the raw sound that distinguishes them from titans of said genre like Behemoth and Vesania, Invoker tend to drag in more brutal and atmospheric influences to the mix, resulting in a fast and furious yet cumbersome presentation. Whilst 'Aeon' might not exactly be the release to drag them out of the underground shadows, it does however poise itself as a decent listen for those who prefer the more exquisite strains of Black / Death Metal. With two instrumentals, a total listening duration of 45 minutes and an eight minute epic, this album will guarantee anyone who peers into it, a listen they will never forget.

Download This (when out): "In The Womb Of Arrogance"

For Fans of: Dissection, Bolt Thrower, Hypocrisy

'Aeon' is out 30th October via Non Serviam Records in both physical and digital formats

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

FORKLIFT ELEVATOR
'Borderline'
INDEPENDENT

Despite the crazy band name, Italian wielders of Groove / Thrash Metal Forklift Elevator deal justice with their debut album 'Borderline'. Whether that's a remark about their music style being borderline or their band name remains to be seen, but the problem that is presented with their debut album is the quality delivered. Naturally self-produced albums are a little risky in terms of whether it will be successful or not, Forklift Elevator just avoided that trap, just. 'Borderline' does offer crunchy riffs (especially on 'Damn Bug') and thick bass elements, but it lacks that kick force that this quintet are so capable of mustering. By adding a bit more eccentricity and / or power will give them that magical spark to ignite their career and gain much acclaimed attention. Despite this, 'Borderline' is still a valiant effort it just does not have that quality to make this unit stand out from the underground masses.

Download This: "Struggle Of Life" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Five Finger Death Punch, Machine Head, Hebiimetaru

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

NICROTEK
'Strange Sound From The Sky'
BLACK LION PRODS.

Eclectic to say the least, well what else can be said when you put industrial music, Black Metal, folk, ambient and atmospheric music into the mixing pot? Insane is another way, but however you wish to put it, it seems that Indonesian soloist Bobby Deathstars has ventured into the euphoric moment of widening the Black Metal cesspool even more. His project Nicrotek has pummeled out 9 albums this year and this is just one of them, 'Strange Sound From The Sky' explores the creative and artistic breadth of this ingenious musician. Granted to the die-hard kvlt Black Metal fans this would come across as a pile of wank, to those into electronic music the harshness of Black Metal would leave them clueless. Hence this release is designed for total musical annihilation and so for that kudos must be bestowed, what with the sound and atmosphere creating a wide landscape, where can this project go from here?

Download This: "Unexpected Situation" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: 'Black Metal, 'Ambient', 'Experimental music'

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

BLACK ROYAL
'The Summoning Pt. I'
ARMLESS STRANGER

Stoner Death Metal? If that is not another way of describing dying from a meth overdose then no idea what is, joke aside Finnish quartet Black Royal demonstrate their musicianship well through their premier EP 'The Summoning Pt. I'. Thick as the Floridian Death Metal sound and brutal as a mediocre hangover, 'The Summoning Pt. I' is a league apart from other weirdly genre-combined releases. The sad thing is that it just seems to not go anywhere, the music is good but the initiative is one that lacks that convincing element. Granted it will appeal to those who like thick, fast and ironically slow music, but there is too much going on for it to be a decent release. If the band were to hone in on their playing skills and fine tune it, then sure the outcome would be far different, but this is a learning step for the Finns, time will tell if their is any improvements.

Download This: "Contagion Accident" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Melvins, Orange Goblin, Six Feet Under

[6.5] RHYS STEVENSON

UNDER THE ABYSS
'A Future To Behold'
VOCATION

Heavy / Thrash Metal mixed with Metalcore influences? Sounds good. Sounds even better when you have the likes of Under The Abyss commandeering it. This French mob brandish their own take on the over-populated metal combination and it is this decision that makes releases like their second album 'A Future To Behold' a delightful listen. With each passing second, new elements are delivered and it is this that leaves an ever-lasting taste for more, with an eccentric approach to the compositions and an architectural foundation to build their sound on, Under The Abyss position themselves as potential contenders for 'French Metal release of the year'. This modern take on Thrash Metal is what will drive the genre forward, forward onto newer ventures and perhaps towards 'A Future To Behold'. Watch this band with interest.

Download This: "Meaningless Things" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Fallen Fate, Scarred By Beauty, Evile

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

CHAOS BEFORE GEA
'Khâron'
BLOOD FIRE DEATH

Chaos Before Gea could easily become Spain's answer to 36 Crazyfists and Norma Jean, with their latest effort 'Khâron' delivering a ballistic onslaught of insanely angry Metalcore / Nu Metal, you would wet your pants at the brutality of such a release. Not known for producing stellar Metalcore bands, this in fact could be the moment the Spanish Metal scene has been waiting for, sensational vocals lead the strike force with the riffs and drums providing substantial artillery fire. It might not be something new, but it is something epic and that is good enough for the average metal listener. it won't take long before this lot end up on the laps of the Metalcore titans, so watch this band with every passing day because they are going places they may never have thought of.

Download This: "Red Lights" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: 36 Crazyfists, Norma Jean, Miss May I

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

ÓSSERP
'Sang I Sutge'
BLOOD FIRE DEATH

No matter how much effort you put into a release, it does not always guarantee a decent release. This is what has happened with Ósser's debut album 'Sang I Sutge', there is too much going on and very little in the way of organizing it, as if to suggest the band were distracted during the album making process. 'Sang I Sutge' is the debut album by the Spanish Death Metal / Grindcore contingent and despite it's thick double bass (and bass guitar) elements, gritty vocals and brutal pace, it lacks the ability to convince that this album is there best output possible. Granted Deathgrind was never meant to be pretty, tidy or neat, but there is an exception to that, that is the release has to maintain a percussive pattern and not be hit this, hit that, play this, f**k that. That is exactly what makes this album flop, it just does not convince itself let alone the listener that it is the real deal.

Download This: "Heretant Enemics" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Death Metal / Grindcore

[5] RHYS STEVENSON

JUSTABELI
'Cause The War Never Ends'
MUTILATION

Seven years since their debut album 'Hell War' emerged from the Brazilian Metal scene, Justabeli makes their hallowed return with another slab of old school 'Blackened-tinged' Death Metal. Full of thick viscous riffs that float in-between the ferocity of the drums and vocals that are so raspy they put the old Norwegian Black Metal vocalists to shame. 'Cause The War Never Ends' is true in it's words in that somewhere in the world there are skirmishes going on and so with this 'Blackened' Death metal at the helm of this release, the stage is set for another onslaught of the 'War Metal' style. The only downside is that some of the songs sound too similar to one another, thus the lack of diversity in terms of song construction hinders the album somewhat to the extent that it becomes hard to appreciate certain songs. But despite the inconsistency of song differentiation, 'Cause The War Never Ends' is a well constructed album that will appeal to many fans of Old-School Extreme Metal.

Download This: "Soldiers Of Satan" - Click here to listen

For Fans of: Immortal, Marduk, Morbid Angel

[6.5] RHYS STEVENSON