 AGONYST 'Centennial' Norwich Progressive Deathrash / Metalcore crew Agonyst bring forth an all-out assault on the Norfolk countryside with an audio blast so brutal it is horrific enough to rip woman's clothes off. 2010 saw their formidable sound take full flight with their debut album 'Centennial', carving a path through the misty haze of their past to the light that's now before them. With drums blazing, guitars out of control and vocals so heavily scaring, Agonyst are the next best product of the Norfolk broads. With an eye for ear-terror and a taste for sensational extreme metal, the quartet from Norwich is ready to take the strain. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  SCARAB 'Blinding The Masses' OSMOSE PRODUCTIONS Egyptian Death Metallers Scarab excavated their ancient Egyptian history and restored it within Metal's majestic character and modern day technology, thus giving birth to one of Egypt's finest metal exports and Scarab's debut album, 'Blinding The Masses' in 2009. Laying Death Metal with traditional Egyptian music on the guitar, Scarab can also dubbed as another Oriental Metal act. With epic's such as 'Valley Of The Sandwalkers' being produced, there is no reason to why Scarab should not be acknowledged by the masses, but with that comes a cliché, in that the modern Metalheads are blinded to the lesser known metal scenes and so Scarab enforce that as their debut title, 'Blinding The Masses'. Scarab is certainly flying the flag for the Egyptian Metal scene and with the intent to encase the world with their sensational earthquake-causing Death Metal. [9] RHYS STEVENSON  BLACK PAGAN DEATH SALUTE VOL.2 SALUTE 2010 saw some of the world's finest underground dark metal bands come together under the label Salute Records to deliver a global assault upon the masses, bands from Italy, Sweden, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Mexico, Malaysia, The Netherlands, India, Serbia, France, Colombia, Philippines, Uruguay, Malta, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia unite with one cause, to bring metal to the masses. Chock-loaded with genres to savour any metal fan, this is a compilation that die-hard metal fans should invest in getting. With hours of pure solid metal, the Black Pagan Death Salute Vol.2 compilation is an underground success, captivating a wide audience. This international storm has only just begun and will continue to get heavier and heavier, [10] RHYS STEVENSON  FROSTHAMMER 'The Cold Wind Of Eternity' Long standing Canadian Symphonic Black Metal quartet Frosthammer make their thoughts heard with their fourth demo and 2011 release 'The Cold Wind Of Eternity', mixing their own sound and a handful of atmospheric incantations, this is perhaps one of Canada's darkest releases. Whilst the production is a little low, this adds to the character of the sound, the sort of raw and evil persona so-developed. Frosthammer will continue storming the underground with their scintillating orgasmic sound and as such become one of the shadows gems, a tribute to 'The Cold Wind Of Eternity'. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  FLESHCRAWLER
'Abuse Your Fucking God' SALUTE One-man project Fleshcrawler makes the first move into the light with the first debut album, released in only 10 copies. The brains behind this project is Swedish musician Satanic Tony (owner of Salute Records), this Black/Death/Grindcore project regurgitates the sickening horrors found within the deepest depths of hell and converts that into an audible sound that can easily rival the very definition of Extreme Metal itself. Valhalla as we know it will never be the same again, for this release is a spitting image of such a place and as such eludes many who listen to it into a false sense of being misled. Fleshcrawler like many one-man projects are unique, as time, sweat and pure brainpower is put into these releases. [10] RHYS STEVENSON
0 Comments
 EVENSTORM 'The Return Of The Storm' This is perhaps one of Germany's most hidden metal gems, Evenstorm return with their fast-paced Heavy Metal tune in the form of their third album 'The Return Of The Storm', this cooks up a fruity balance of German Heavy Metal and brutal speed, all making this effort the funkiest the German Metal scene has to offer, even playing a song about Formula 1 on the song 'Speed Ecstasy'. This is one of those albums that you would drive along to, roof down and along route 66. Evenstorm are a classic band who deserves space on anyone's iTunes - True Heavy Metal. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  KARYBDIS 'War For Land' London quintet Karybdis decimate any resistance with a full-on ear-rape in the form of their debut EP 'War For Land', this characterizes an insane mix of Melodic Death Metal and essentially Thrashcore to the sound. The music is mid-paced, heavy and brutal and the vocals are quick, snappy and exciting, all in all this is a great first attempt. Mixing a great array of breakdowns, riffs and sensational lyrics, the bad boys are set to shred the underground in half, definitely a band to watch out for, they will soon join the British Metal revolution with Malefice, The Dead Lay Waiting, Dyscarnate and Sylosis amongst others, the storm has only just begun. [9.5] RHYS STEVENSON  NOEIN 'The Initial Tale' LES ARTS BOURRINS If Noein were a footballer, they would be Zinedine Zidane - quick, agile and an excellent striker of sensational music. The French female-fronted Industrial Death Metal quintet whips together a furious rally of tornado-force drumming, riffing and growling. One would also dub it 'cyber metal' for the ambiance caused by the clashing of instrument sounds, leaving it with a cyber feel. With their debut EP 'The Initial Tale' released last year, the two females and 3 males that make the line-up are heading the right way for recognition and with this effort, they rightly deserve it. Fear Factory now has an enemy, the war has just begun, let the battle commence. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  CORR MHONA 'Corrguineacht' Captivating the old forgone language of Irish Gaelic is Pagan Doom band Corr Mhona from Ireland, unleashing their EP back in 2009 it passes on a unique sense of it being totally different from your average Irish Metal release, regardless of the language change. There lies within this EP an influence of the Celtic Metal vein, not so much Doom Metal; being mid-paced. Still this is a band from Cork with a lot of passion about their heritage and is willing to share it in the best conveyed message. Regardless if you don’t like doom or pagan metal, Corr Mhona is a band welcomed in anyone's music taste, just to hear the Irish Gaelic language spoken is beautiful. [9] RHYS STEVENSON  EUPHOREON
'Euphoreon West meets East in this international collaboration between a German and a New Zealander, implementing the majestic sounds of Melodic Death Metal and adding their own twist to it, the duo who form Euphoreon concocted the perfect storm to unleash hell in the form of their sensational debut self-titled album. In the veins of Wintersun, Blackguard and Preternatural, the album offers a vast array of tones and pitches to excite the listener's hearing, so much so the release is an audible orgasm. Euphoreon are setting sights on pastures new and with this release, could prove to be the best ever band released from the New Zealand Metal scene as well as the best ever dual-nationality project. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  LOCAL I 'Ecorces' SALUTE Dark and despairingly disturbing springs to mind when hearing Local I's third sensational opus 'Ecorces', delivering a full-on blast of Black Metal-cross-Death Metal production of which ignites the furious frenzy developed by the Russian duo. 'Ecorces' deploys a raw-tinged sound to the music whilst essentially capturing a slight slant on ambiance in that it devours any clear-cut sound and envelopes it with a sound that rivals only the screams made by burning witches. Local I are one truly remarkable underground Russian band of who will continue purging the scene with darkened discrepancy and unruly unrest. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  EQUINOX 'A Child Was Born Of The Underworld' SALUTE Back in 2010 the only release by Swedish Black Metal duo Equinox was ever made, in 66 copies essentially, but the key part in all of this is that they formed in 1986 but split in 1987 - perhaps one of Sweden's long forgotten underground Black Metal bands. None the less, the album itself is very raw, heavily distorted guitars make way for a chime-twinkling drum pattern. Whilst conventionally the vocals are shrieked and echoed so to speak, the lyrics cannot be deciphered - all for more making it even darker. 'A Child Was Born Of The Underworld' is a testament to the True Swedish Black Metal scene and a harmonious reminder that Salute Records founder Satanic Tony knows Metal music inside and out. Equinox is one of a kind, a rarity and so whomever hears the band's music has a right gem in their hands. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  ULTRA NOVA 'Into Pain....' SALUTE Wallowing in the sewers of both the USA and Canada is the two-man band Ultra Nova with their slick-stance on raw Black / Death Metal. Whilst the production need be not great, this adds to the raw ambiance of it. 'Into Pain....' is their debut 2011 EP and by far does it engrave a darkened signal of ravishing intent in respect of mass destruction of hearing. Although it cannot be essentially called an EP with two tracks - more so a demo, none the less this is one release that proves a promising sign for the duo.  MORIBOND 'The Wild Ride' SALUTE American / Canadian Doom Metal duo Moribond flick the amp to bring their premier demo 'The Wild Ride' to light, unleashing the thickened sound of sludge-style Doom Metal in a three track attack, Moribond devour the bleakest atmosphere imaginable and erode any corresponding despair surrounding the listener. Whilst the vocals are not truly impressive, being near-inaudible - the music itself offers its own services and alleviates any misconceptions right from the first track. A cult release from a soon-to-be cult band, Moribond are due to turn heads. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON  WINTERCOLD
'The Return Of Baal' SALUTE Depressingly sorrowful and mentally disturbing is Wintercold's sophomore album 'The Return Of Baal', the Swedish one-man project pioneered by Salute Record's owner Satanic Tony brings a cold and bitter feel to the atmosphere by introducing a new style of Gothic Doom Metal by making it sound depressing and Pagan-like. Without a doubt this is a well produced album that has hidden qualities all over it, just waiting to take the listener to a different place each time. Wintercold is one project for those who love Pagan and Doom Metal and with this release, there is clearly more to come. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  PREMONITION 'The Plague Of Ignorance' SALUTE Back in 2009, Saudi Arabian one-man project Premonition (Arjun Gill is originally Indian) made his debut album 'The Plague Of Ignorance' shed light and effectively raise another flag for the Saudi Arabian Metal scene. The music itself may be dubbed 'extreme metal' as it encompasses Black, Death, Thrash and Metalcore and so 'Blackened Deathrashcore' may as well be a mouthful. With a chock load of pulsating riffs, rifling blast-beats and a rainbow-variety of vocals, this is Premonition at it's best, even though this is just a debut. Guaranteed to set off moshpits in a flash, 'The Plague Of Ignorance' is a clear sign that more is to come, even more so a forecast for heavier material is predicted. [9] RHYS STEVENSON  FALGAR 'Beyond The Fading Stars' SALUTE Backtracking to 2010 and to the latest release of Puerto Rican Black Metal one-man project Falgar is as monumental as realizing history. 'Beyond The Fading Stars' deploys the darkened atonement of Raw Black Metal in its harshest form, whereby the vocals offer a spine-chilling spiritual rape and the music itself carves bleeding wounds in the listener's soul. Released in only 99 copies, this is one album that any Black Metal fan should have in their repertoire, for it carries a really evil and imaginative creation ideology on it, the notion that Black Metal is ever-expanding 'Beyond The Fading Stars', Falgar is flying the flag for the Puerto Rico Metal scene. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  DEONA CART DELUNA 'In The Manner Ov Death' SALUTE Malaysian Death / Thrash mob Deona Cart Deluna return with their grand-slamming sound of raw vocals and distorted guitars in the form of their breathtaking 2011 EP 'In The Manner Ov Death'. Rallying a roller-coaster of outrageous riffs and bombastic blastbeats, the quintet from Johore Southern Gateway unleashes absolute god-raving hell on this EP with more than four fruity tracks to indulge in. Only one can imagine the sheer velocity of audio-brutality experienced when seeing these guys live at a gig or festival. Deona Cart Deluna are without a doubt one of the best emerging Malaysian Metal talents around and are clearly deserving of a place at one of Europe's top festivals. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  AMORTYS 'Voz Muerta' SALUTE Hailing from Colombia, Blackened Death Metal quartet Amortys brought a new style of insanity to the table in 2009 with their first demo 'Voz Muerta'. Whilst singing in their native Spanish, the boys from Bogota do not fail to impress to the masses with this releases, the level of raw music on this release is sensational, whilst it's practically easy to mosh to, the vocals are a little understandable and so the music acts as a foundation for this. Easy to say that Amortys are wallowing in the deepest chasms of the Colombian Metal scene, bring on the debut EP. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  NOKTURNAL FOREST
'To Embrace The Nocturnal Hymns' SALUTE 2010 saw call of duty in the Syrian Metal scene with one-man project Nokturnal Forest take up the valiance of playing more Black Metal in the form of his debut EP 'To Embrace The Nocturnal Hymns', whilst the music itself is a lovely raw sound, there is nothing wrong with this release. For a musician from the Middle East to unleash this oriental darkness in such a way is a signal that the metal in that region is far from being labelled as a pushover. Nokturnal Forest is leading a storm of Syrian Metal of which is to engulf the underground, calling it a dark threat and ultimately signalling the dawn of a new era for Black Metal. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  G.L.A.S.S. 'Giving Life A Secret Story' Hailing from Germany, 2010 saw one of the most majestic and heavenly releases take shape courtesy of Progressive / Power quartet (now quintet) G.L.A.S.S. of which evidently is an abbreviation of their debut album 'Giving Life A Secret Story'. Fittingly soft vocals add a sense of calmness and tranquillity to the exuberant and adventurous sounds cast by the guitars and drums together. This is one of those albums that you either love it or hate it, because there is different sounds on each track altogether but all coming into one sound-wave of 'soul metal'. G.L.A.S.S. is one band that fans of Sonata Arctica will enjoy, but also one band that is sure to cause a storm in the coming years. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  ASGAIA 'Trinegra' STF Battling their way through the forests and wilderness of the Melodic Death minefield, Germany's Asgaia offer a unique twist on the common genre with some ambiance and coldness in their music, similar to that of Latvia's Preternatural. Mystical and eclectic best suit this quintet's third album 'Trinegra', by diverging away from the rules of the genre and adding their own unique sound to the affray. Pummelling drums encase the atmospheric in a shroud of bizarreness and almost near sci-fi embodiment. Asgaia are sure to become a storm in the German Metal scene and with this effort, they are ready to smother Europe, watch this band at all costs. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  DARKMOON 'Wounds' STF Firing on all cylinders is Swiss mosh-bombardiers Darkmoon with their third album assault, 'Wounds' deploys the combined sound of Black and Death Metal to such an extent, this is perhaps a toned down version of Behemoth, but whilst that may sound apt, the music is just as brutal as rottweilers savaging a gang of chickens, ruthlessly and brutally. For the quintet from Hölstein this is perhaps the pivotal moment in their existence, rallying a futile blast of unimaginable proportions. Darkmoon is without a doubt, Switzerland's most kept secret until now, the evil has just turned nasty. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  BRAINDEADZ 'Born From Damnation' STF Teutonic Thrash quintet Braindeadz return with their sophomore album 'Born From Damnation', continuing the sounds of the German Thrash style and bringing more gut-busting riffs and brain-squelching drum beats to the masses. Evidently Braindeadz are amongst the same group of bands like Holy Moses to grace their national sound, but the truth is Braindeadz revolutionize that sound into a harsher reality. Wielding an army of furious artillery assaults in respect to sensational songs, the Limburg an der Lahn quintet have just begun. [7] RHYS STEVENSON  BLACKHORNED
'Dark Season' UNDERCOVER Dark as the misery of the blackened woods and cold as the frostbitten mornings of a Danish winter, Black / Thrash quartet Blackhorned smother the atmosphere with sensational despair, darkness and spine-chilling coldness. The sounds emanating from the deepest chasms of hell and banishing all light in the room, the sound of their fourth full length album released last year, 'Dark Season' brings the suicide emotion to the center of the altar and sacrifices a bleak and dormant moment to unleash brutality in the greatest audio form to date, Blackhorned are without a doubt Denmark's finest underground metal band. [9.5] RHYS STEVENSON  RABENWOLF 'Aus alten Zeiten' German Pagan Metal octet Rabenwolf make their long awaited debut album speak for itself, 'Aus alten Zeiten' (For Old Times) is entirely in their native language and as such complements the traditional German folk music sound to the bone. Whilst not as brutal as Russian band Arkona, Rabenwolf exert a force that seems to illuminate the forests of Bavaria with a sense of beer-fests and grand banquets, all of which simmer in their music as an apt mode of conveying old by-gone times. Rabenwolf are set to become Germany's next biggest export, but also possibly one of those bands that Nuclear Blast may keep an eye on. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  DEVARIEM 'Peace Was Never An Option' Arising from the grounds of Lubeck is latest Teutonic Thrashers Devariem with their feisty and fury-loaded debut EP 'Peace Was Never An Option', collectively delivering a fluid flow of blastbeats and heart-stabbing vocals to cause anyone a hyperactive heart attack. Whilst conventionally not the newest version of Holy Moses, Devariem however bring the same brain-punching sound experienced by the latter, none the less the riffs and beats on this release are certified to leave listeners with more than a headache and more than whiplash, as far as Devariem are concerned 'Peace Was Never An Option'. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  EXCOMMUNICATED 'Skeleton Key' UW RECORDS Unholy Black / Death Metal quartet Excommunicated arise from the altar with their blistering paced debut album 'Skeleton Key', musically sounding along the lines of Behemoth with the anti-Christianity level of Gorgoroth, this mind-blowing album carries a death warrant on it's audio waves in the form of ravenous riffs, bear-mauling blastbeats and venomous vocals, all in all coming together as a sacrilegious blast of 'Dark Religious Metal' - of which is best way to describe the band, a major threat to the existence of the Christian faith and the ruling presence of the Vatican City, without a doubt the perfect soundtrack to Dan Brown's novel 'The Da Vinci Code', just don't expect any repentance from these four cardinals of Louisiana. [9] RHYS STEVENSON  KILLGASM 'Bloodbath Of Satanic Vengeance' UW RECORDS American Black Metal / Pornogrinders Killgasm shed blood and sexual innuendo's in the most Satanic form yet with their catastrophic debut album 'Bloodbath Of Satanic Vengeance', featuring a fast and spit-in-your-face attitude in each song, the trio from California sum up the soundtrack for a real Hardcore porn movie. So much for BDSM being erotic and sex being dirty, these bad boys emit a sound that curses any sound made from the bondage of a big woman so to speak, powering drums into speeding and riffing into overdrive, this is perhaps one of the darkest releases from California, a certain 'Bloodbath Of Satanic Vengeance' has been created. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  SLIME IN THE CURRENT
'Pissed On Resurrectine' UW RECORDS Cold and heartless sums up this Black Metal trio from Louisiana, diving into the darkest depths of war and anti-Christianity and emerging under the title of Slime In The Current. For a Black Metal album that was the band's debut and unleashed in 2009, Pissed On Resurrectine' sits in the raw vein, due to the evident guitar distortion and inaudible vocals conveying what sounds like words but at most times are misleading. This is not one of the best releases that has graced metal's darkest genre, but certainly not the worst either. In total respect the band combines an atmospheric discharge rather than speed and heaviness, so essentially 'Pissed On Resurrectine' can be dubbed 'Raw Ambient Black Metal'. [6] RHYS STEVENSON  NAMI 'Fragile Alignments' SEASON OF MIST Signalling a seismic wave of destruction is Andorran Progressive Metal quintet Nami with their 2010 debut album 'Fragile Alignments', hailing from a small country the band does no mistakes in making it sound big and brutal. Death Metal style vocals cover the Progressive Metal beats to finalise as a dual genre production, with riffs bleeding every spot on the human ear and drums supplementing a beat for the vocals to curse words upon, this is without a doubt one album for any metal fan to have. A true work of Andorran musicianship in which leads to Nami flying the flag for the Andorran Metal scene. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  NIFLHEIM 'Personae' Mixing a traditional Celtic rock sound to their music is French Symphonic Heavy Metal sextet Niflheim with their sophomore album 'Personae', sounding a little similar to Finns Apocalyptica, the four men and two women present in this intricate assembly all bring a different level of beauty to the music, from the calming female vocals to the adventurous sound of the violin and to the glorified Metal sound, this is without a doubt a band for the future. With a vocal range exceeding the range of French champagne, Niflheim is one of the French Metal scenes hidden gems. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  CIRCLE OF RAGE 'Rage In D-Minor' Breaking the limit of decibels emitted from speakers during musical transition is Hardcore Punk bad boys Circle The Rage from Kent, mixing the attitude of The Who and bringing a in-your-face spitting attitude, this is a sound defining blaspheming anger at everything, a true punk signature of an album. Fisting the masses with a sharp blast of brain-raping riffs, spine-snapping beats and ball-blazing vocals, this is anarchy in the UK without a doubt. Perhaps one of the next Hardcore bands to kick up s*** in the underground and dump s*** on every poser. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  LORD IMPALER 'Admire The Cosmos Black' As raw as the unholy nights of the Balkan forests comes Greek Black Metal trio Lord Impaler with their debut album 'Admire The Cosmos Black' released this year and of which marks the first major release in their 13 years of existence. With clear and imminent influences from the Norwegian Black Metal scene, Lord Impaler do not fail to impress with this release, with an eruption of raspy and shrieking vocals that are scary enough to freeze wolves on the spot and the guitars and drums working in tandem to create a dynamic atmosphere, this is perhaps the darkest hour in the Greek Metal scene. Essentially, Lord Impaler is one band any Black Metal fan should have in their collection as it is simply a work of genius. [9] RHYS STEVENSON  OURFAMOUS DEAD
'I Am Man' Yorkshire mob Ourfamous Dead make their standing in the ever-growing combination of criss-crossing electronic music with Metal with their debut EP 'I Am Man' released this year, whilst automatically considered as a more funked up Enter Shikari, the quintet do no more but totally wreck the record with songs containing a heavy load of sweat and balls, enough to breakdown any stagnate crowd and ignite the moshpits and raves into overdrive. Being included in the freshly created wave of 'Electronicore' as dubbed by themselves, Ourfamous Dead are sure winners to be noticed by Kerrang and with one release down, nothing is going to stop them now, you have been warned. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON |
© 2011-2022
|
RSS Feed