 VALBORG 'Barbarian' ZEITGEISTER MUSIC When Progressive Doom and Death Metal come together, one would assume it would be slow, heavy and not repetitious in anyway, but this is beyond utter belief, the fact that German trio Valborg have done exactly that does not leave a lasting impression on the band, whilst the vocals do offer some deep notes from time to time, the riffs are monotonous and the whole 'Death Metal' part of their shaming fourth album 'Barbarian' seems to be non-existent, whilst the given level of enthusiasm and effort lays there, the final product is one level short of becoming disturbingly non-metal, more or less shambolic. [2] RHYS STEVENSON  NAILGUN 'Paindustry' 2011 saw the rising of a new Heavy Thrash band, and not a doom and gloom of another copycat release, no, this is Germany's Nailgun with a heart of steel and music of atomic characteristics, the vocals explode on the speakers from the release 'Paindustry' like no tomorrow whilst the music delves into the most percussive of methods and unleashes a cascading blast of neck-snapping Thrash and gut-wrenching Heavy Metal, thus giving a migraine to any pop music listener. They only thought Germany had Rammstein in metal, fikken nein, Nailgun ist die neue scheiss!! [8] RHYS STEVENSON  OWL 'Owl' ZEITGEISTER MUSIC Catastrophe is a word not even beginning to describe the self-titled album by Germany's Death Metal duo Owl, for starters two of the tracks are insanely long, in fact hardly any listener would stick half an hour to one track that sounds of absolute nothing, the only decent track on this release is 'Spell Of The Ignis Fatuus That Lead To The Impalpable Altar Of Beasts'; the latter being long in the song title, but whilst the song offers some credit to the release, the overall impression is bleak, in fact in all fairness this is an absolute mockery of Death Metal; it would be interesting to see how the musicians learnt to play... [2] RHYS STEVENSON  THE MORNINGSIDE 'Treelogia: The Album As It Is Not' BADMOODMAN The first EP and third release by Russian Melodic Death / Doom Metal quartet The Morningside is one with antiquity to it, with an elaborate ever-changing atmosphere being the main focal point of their release 'Treelogia: The Album As It Is Not'; whilst the songs topple over the ten minute mark, it does leave the listener in anxiety of what's to come and what does come is soon to be dismissed as a general long track. However, the EP strangely coherently divides the norm from the common in that the songs are melodically slow and not just slow, unlike most Doom Metal releases, released in only a thousand copies; this is one release all Melodic Death / Doom Metal fans ought to own. [6] RHYS STEVENSON  COMATOSE VIGIL
'Fuimus, Non Sumus...' SOLITUDE PRODS. My death be thy worry of the Christ in 2011, for the darkness shrouding one's ears is of despair and sheer depression, as the Russian Funeral Doomsters Comatose Vigil unleash hell with their sophomore album, with three tracks amounting to twenty-odd minutes each and having the atmospherically-charged ambience expected in such a genre, without considering it murder on recording, 'Fuimus, Non Sumus...' does not shy away from making stomachs churn unwillingly. Closely sounding to that of Suicidal Black Metal, this is without any doubt Russia's darkest and most depressive release to date and one for not the faint of heart. [8] RHYS STEVENSON
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 CONQUEST OF STEEL 'Victorious In Defeat' NO FACE Bradford-based Power Metal quintet Conquest of Steel make their awaited return with their latest offering in the form of a four-track single (3 studio and 1 live), this being called 'Victorious In Defeat'. The only downside is, it does not sound anything like Power Metal, no high-pitch melodic vocals nor any gallioping speed on the drums / guitars, this is more like melodic heavy metal, for the West Yorkshire lads, this is a decent piece of musicianship, timed and excellent in beat and whilst the overall product is a good release, it should be noted that the riffs are a little repetitious. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON  RAW IN SECT 'Red Flows' WORMHOLE DEATH Musically representing the anger of the Greek nation and it's population, the Technical Death / Thrash Metal quartet Raw In Sect spit blood out with their debut album 'Red Flows', capturing and ensnaring the listener into sheer heavy brutality whilst murdering the human senses, rendering the human hearing ability obsolete. Here is a band with enough fury to overturn the faltering E.U, with a fistful of balls smashing against the skulls of the belligerent listener; the ultimate result is one of sheer decapitation and mental scarring, without a doubt Greek Metal album of the year. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  JAPANISCHE KAMPFHORSPIELE 'Kaputte Nackte Affen' UNUNDEUX Sad to say that the German Grindcore band Japanische Kampfhörspiele split up this year, none the less their fifth full-length release will not go without being noticed as an interesting release, not only do they sing in their native language of German but there is hardly any continual riffs, this is perhaps the signature tune for Grindcore, short songs with enough bizarre music to keep the listener questioning whether it is music or not, eighteen tracks amounting to 45 minutes, that is enough to save a place for the band in German Metal history. [7] RHYS STEVENSON  SOULDRAINER 'Heaven's Gate' VICISOLUM Swedish Melodic Death Metal trio Souldrainer make their second return a real sweet one, returning to deliver their sophomore album 'Heaven's Gate' to the masses, the album features Scar Symmetry (old style) influences but with a lot more beat in it, somewhat funked up. Fist-slamming riffs pulverised by the mesmerising drumming of which are both fuelled and ignited by the fiery vocals that are emitted, this is pure modern metal at its finest, with each riff casting a new sound to each beat of the drum, Souldrainer is set to become the next best Melodic Death Metal export from Sweden. [7] RHYS STEVENSON  ALL FALLS DOWN / REANIMA
'All Falls Down / Reanima Split' UNUNDEUX Utterly a poor split, one would have thought both Austrian Death Metal bands would have taken the moment to shed spit and light up a path to absolute decapitation, but this nothing better than Justin Bieber, an utter disgrace to the music genre. The riffs are too choppy and the drums lack any enthusiasm whilst the vocals, well, imagine a bodybuilder being castrated, it's that painful to listen to, seriously without any sheer motivation on this split, it lacks a lot to be desired. [1] / [1] RHYS STEVENSON  SHADOWICON 'Empire In Ruins' November 2011 saw the sensational debut album of Slovenian Symphonic Power Metal sextet ShadowIcon, with an array of enchanting sounds to summon the listener into another world via the delightful sounds of the keyboards to the pleasurable and softening vocals of Ana Prijatelj, whilst musically the band sound like a cross of old Nightwish and Within Temptation, ShadowIcon are indeed a band on their own accord, in that they have their own 'dramatis persona' about them. 'Empire In Ruins' the debut album in its own rights sounds similar to that of fellow countrymen Aperion's debut album 'Act Of Hybris'; the latter would make it seem apparent Slovenian women have the right vocals for symphonic music, hark 'Empire In Ruins' is without a doubt Slovenian Metal album of the year. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  NORDHEIM 'Lost In The North' 2010 gave birth to Nordheim's debut album 'Lost In The North', with a collision of 'troll' metal and Black Metal, the result is a Korpiklaani / Turisas style release, fast paced, extreme in vocals and drumming and eccentric riffs catapult the listener into a forty-two minute onslaught of Metal music from Quebec in Canada. Unlike most Black / Folk Metal albums in the style of Vikings, Trolls et al, 'Lost In The North' brings in the darkness found within Canadian Black Metal and does well to twist the music into a cascading, whipping storm of cold north water and majestic sounds, the listener will truly get 'Lost In The North'. [7] RHYS STEVENSON  DYNABYTE '2kx' Aggressive and erotic spring to mind when listening to Dynabyte's 2010 album '2kx', the Italian Industrial Gothic Metal trio mix the aesthetics and visual look of Industrial Goth aka rivethead with the hardness of Industrial Metal. With screaming vocals tearing apart the surrounding room like a bulldozer demolishing wooden buildings and music to solve the hunger of all rivetheads, Goths and Metalheads, this is another reason and symbol of proof that Dynabyte are the next big Industrial Music act in Italy's chambers, alongside fellow countrymen Neon:Synthesis and Helalyn Flowers, fans of Rammstein, Ruoska and Velcra will love this. [7] RHYS STEVENSON  RAVENSCRY 'One Way Out' WORMHOLE DEATH Italy's answer to the globally known Evanescence has come around, with their debut album 'One Way Out' shining the way to absolute brilliance, Italian Melodic / Alternative Metal quintet Ravenscry do not fail to disappoint, with vocals in the style of Amy Lee being clear as day and music in the style of Lacuna Coil, this could be the band Italy has been waiting for to unleash sheer beauty and power upon the global metal music world. Leaving the listener spine-chilled and the atmosphere adapted to pure majestic feelings, Ravenscry are flying the Italian flag in the Alternative Metal vein. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  ABSINTHE
'La F’ee Verte' GREEN FAIRY All-female Hard Rock / Heavy Metal trio Absinthe from the USA unleash a belter with their EP 'La F’ee Verte', with an attitude for rock and roll clearly imminent and a striking force of true 1970's style rock music, this is perhaps one band that shouldn't be dismissed as beyond their sell by date, for music always lives on. With guitars blazing fire like no tomorrow and heavenly vocals backed up by sensational drumming, this is one EP that fans of Iron Maiden, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin ought to like, Absinthe are more than just female rockers, they are bad-ass ladies. [8] RHYS STEVENSON GMN - Vol63 - Emerald Night, Изморозь (Izmoroz), Twilight, Disconnected Brain, Corpse Fauna29/12/2011  EMERALD NIGHT 'Зеркало Троллей' GRAILIGHT Emblazoned on the Russian Metal scene like a light-bearer is Emerald Night with their third album 'Зеркало Троллей', the Symphonic Melodic Black Metal quartet deliver a sonic blast of Russian language-infused tracks that are so powerful, the nuclear weaponry that is present in today's world is now considered obsolete. Whilst the general listener may fall short of understanding the lyrics, the music does well in supplying a backdrop to keep the listener occupied, with a massacre of tricky riffs to savour the insane drumming and ear-smashing vocals, Emerald Night are a truly underground band waiting to give the all-out assault. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  IZMOROZ (Изморозь) 'Отморозь' GRAILIGHT It just seems apparent that most Eastern European Black Metal bands will use Paganism for their lyric topics and include Slavonic style music, easily Pagan Black Metal, but for Russia's Izmoroz it is more than that. Mixing their native Russian language with the sounds of Paganism and Slavonic folklore, this is perhaps the most influential album for Russian Pagan Metal bands to follow as an example, with vocals evil enough to make yourself soil your pants and music fast and brutal enough to send all the bodybuilders running in tutu's, Izmoroz is leading the Russian Pagan Metal scene to newer dimensions. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  TWILIGHT 'Awaiting The Sunrise' GRAILIGHT The debut album from Russian Symphonic Black / Melodic Death Metal quintet Twilight is now a reality, sounding similar to that of fellow countrymen Arcane Grail. The Vologda-based five-piece mould together the blistering pace of Black Metal with the melodic symphonies found within metal and the sister Metal genre of Death Metal to produce an album worthy of a Grammy award. Thunderous double-bass drumming is only the foundation for a harmonic yet mentally brutal production and is only the signal for an eight-track onslaught, 'Awaiting The Sunrise' is perhaps the most heaviest album released in Russian Metal history; a true work of honour. [9] RHYS STEVENSON  DISCONNECTED BRAIN 'Descent Into Hell' Slaying their way into the limelight and into newcomers corner is French Thrashers Disconnected Brain with their debut album 'Descent Into Hell', sounding similar to that of Slayer and Metallica, the riffs are romping around the release like no tomorrow whilst the solo's are clean and crisp, somewhat bringing classic styles to the modern sound of European Thrash Metal. 'Descent Into Hell' is a 'thrashin' good album and with a taste for Pantera clearly detectable, this is without a doubt French Metal album of the year and with this effort, Disconnected Brain is only going to get better. [7] RHYS STEVENSON  CORPSE FAUNA
'Gore Gallery' Arising from the pits of Essex is Death Metal / Grindcore quintet Corpse Fauna, this five-piece simmer out the gravel from the grit and repeatedly smash the listener into brick walls with their debut demo 'Gore Gallery'. Whilst the production isn’t the most wonderful and at times sounds completely non-existent, the demo is a fair attempt at kick-starting the band's career, of course all bands don’t sound their best on their first demo, but Corpse Fauna are sure to make an impression as time goes on, with the double bass and guitars adding a raw atmosphere to it, the only way is forward, the only way is Essex. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON  MERCILESS FAIL 'Forged In Black' Unleashing the army of battle horses into armageddon is simply the finest Heavy Thrash Metal band England has seen in years, Merciless Fail unleash a corker with their debut album 'Forged In Black', with frontman Stoz delivering face-punching vocals in furious style, the music itself is a lot clearer and even so a lot more energetic than their previous EP's. With breakdowns included in the assault, this is clearly the band Essex has been waiting for to take the nation by storm, tight riffs encased with choppy bass-lines adding untolled aggression and with complex drum patterns anchoring the godly vocals and music produced by the Southend quintet, nothing is going to stop them from unleashing mass destruction, this is just the beginning. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  AVENGE THEE & NAIME 'Open Carpet' SWARM Kent experimentalists Avenge Thee & Name released their 2010 album 'Open Carpet' with utmost confounding bizarrity, only that because the release has no real specific sound to it, it seems to be all over the place and in a bad way too. There is nothing really striking about the release, it sounds completely monotonous and bland, the vocals are of no set tone and are with the music a 'anything-will-do' recording, without sounding crude or harshly sound, but this is not even worthy of being called an album, rather a completely estranged demo. [2] RHYS STEVENSON  THE FURIOUS HORDE 'Assemblage' Darkness covers the eastern county of Essex with the latest release by Symphonic Gothic Black Metal quintet The Furious Horde, their release 'Assemblage' is a compilation release containing tracks from their debut album 'World Aghast' and second EP 'Instigation' plus with the new song 'Cold & Grey'. This piece of work combines the Symphonic Black Metal sounds of Dimmu Borgir and Twilight Ophera with the Gothic Metal envisage of Ghost, Cradle of Filth, Deathstars and Motionless In White mixed together, none the less 'Assemblage' brings a whole new sound to the Essex Metal scene, one of darkness and extreme emotion, but also meaningful brutality and sensational sounds. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  NETHERBIRD 'Shadows & Snow' SCARECROW MUSIC GROUP Swedish Symphonic Melodic Black Metal quintet Netherbird unleashed their fourth EP back in August this year and with it shed light in a blizzardous storm of darkened sounds and true Swedish Black Metal. Whilst conventionally sounding a little lame on the drums, the level of raw atmosphere expressed on this release is exceptional in that it engulfs the listener with the might of the wintry forests and evil expressions that are vocalised. What makes this different from your bog standard Black Metal releases is that they cleverly weave different atmospheres into the songs to give a dynamic feel, such as depression to anxiety to happiness. [6] RHYS STEVENSON  FALGAR
'Crepusculum' LATINUS PRODS. 2011 sees the second EP release by Falgar, the Puerto Rican one-man Black Metal project returns with another feastful of raw sounds and angry vocals, setting in just under half an hour, this is well worth the time to indulge in, with freaky repitious riffs being used and blasphemous shrieking implemented as the forefront noise, Falgar is no longer shying away from being noted as perhaps the best Metal band from Puerto Rico. As raw as sushi, 'Crepusculum' is for the fans of bands such as Carpathian Forest and Satanic Warmaster, as for Falgar, this is only just the beginning as the Puerto Rican flag keeps flying. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  AMBEHR 'Amber Dreamland' GRAILIGHT Armenian Power Folk Metal quintet Ambehr return with their fourth masterpiece and this time it is in English rather than the traditional Armenian, with this release the closest to fantasy it can get is the release itself, majestic, full-of-melody and fast paced music, enough to get any party started. Whilst their previous albums were in their native tongue of Armenian, this release does not differ regardless of the language change, everything is perfect, the truth is that Ambehr are leading the Armenian Metal scene and will continue to do so. [9] RHYS STEVENSON  ARTANIA 'Ночь оденет тебе свой венец' GRAILIGHT So mixing the Russian language with the extreme sounds of Symphonic Black Metal and pure gothic imagery and darkness is Artania with their debut album 'Ночь оденет тебе свой венец' (Night Shall Crown Ye), whilst not sounding similar to Dimmu Borgir, Artania do offer their own unique sound, one similar to that of Cradle of Filth, but none the less the album is full of beauty, darkness and extreme music, a total revelation in the Russian Black Metal scene and exceptionally, Russian Metal album of the year. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  GREY HEAVEN FALL '...Grey Heaven Fall' GRAILIGHT Russian Symphonic Black / Death Metal sextet Grey Heaven Fall come out of the shadows with their self-titled debut album of which is frenetically fast, insanely magical and such a pleasure to listen to, with an armament of heavy yet swift tracks to entrance the listener into complete oblivious senselessness, this is perhaps the best Symphonic Metal album this year, none the less '...Grey Heaven Fall' is one of those albums that fans of Illidiance, Shturm, and Tristwood will enjoy, a classic release that signals an oncoming slaughter by this band. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  SKYFALL 'Bestiarium Pool' GRAILIGHT Twelve years wait and Skyfall finally release their long-awaited debut album 'Bestiarium Pool', the Russian Melodic Black Metal band carefully crafts the album into absolute perfection with precision and correct tuning, the Russian quintet sing in both Russian and English and whilst that does not affect the music itself, the listener may switch between singing and just listening, with raw vocals at the reins, spine-chilling melodies creeping down the human spine and riffs that are so hard, diamonds are obsolete, resistance is futile. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  KARTIKEYA
'Mahayuga' GRAILIGHT This is the next step in the evolution of Metal music, Black Death Metal mixing traditional Indian musical sounds by a Russian band!!!! Kartikeya return with their mystics and religious faiths in form of their sophomore album 'Mahayuga', bringing more cultural aspects on the Indian religion of Hinduism and Indian philosophy, this is a truly remarkable and ground-breaking album. Sensational vocals aided by brutally heavy drumming and chaotic riffing, this is the new way forward; a collaboration of multiple cultures into one. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  CONNATURAL TERROR 'Lunacy Frenzy' PSYCHO LUNACY SOUNDS Arising from the grassy plains of Põlva in Estonia is Death Metal duo Connatural Terror and their disturbingly wretched debut EP 'Lunacy Frenzy', whilst the overall production is great, the vocal dynamics could be easily improved, however the music itself offers a two or three stroke battering and by jove is the double bass heavy. Although not exactly the greatest releases to start with, the effort in this is clearly felt with the vocals, what sets this duo apart from the rest of the Death Metal gathering, the level of precision in the vocals is paramount, almost explicitly morbid. [6.5] RHYS STEVENSON  AMORAL 'Beneath' IMPERIAL CASSETTE / THE END Armed with the absolutely talented Ari Koivunen (Finland's Idol 2007 winner) on vocal duties, Finnish Power Metal (and Death Metal) machine Amoral make their warmed-welcome return with their fifth album 'Beneath', this brings a storm of blizzardous drumming along with some of the most epic riffs ever heard by the band and of course utilising the magic that the Finnish Power Metal vocalists seem to muster, none the less Amoral know what sound they want to create, one of epic dynamic sounds and endless neck-breaking Metal music, 'Beneath' is for fans of Sonata Arctica, Shade Empire and Children Of Bodom; with the release now out it has to be Finnish Metal album of the year. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  IN LEAGUE 'Where The Silence Is Easy' Australia sees a new boy band on the block, this time it is In League with their debut album 'Where The Silence Is Easy', the Post-Hardcore sextet immerse the listener with gravitational-pulling riffs and brain-shredding drumming, all supported by some of the most melodic vocals heard from Australia. Sounding similar to that of Enter Shikari (minus the trance) and Rise Against, In League are sure to gain global attention from media and fans alike, 'Where The Silence Is Easy' is an exceptionally powerful release and with the attitude and musical direction displayed on this release, there is nothing to stop this furious blazing wildfire of six lads to dominate the globe. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  ESSENZA 'Devils Breath' BIG MUD Totally unethical and despairingly common, Essenza's third album released in 2009 is nothing more than a standard Heavy Metal release, no enthusiasm or drive to make it entertaining, as if the guitars just rusted up or the drummers lost the groove. The only good thing about it is the fact they've tried to make another album, but with this effort they may as well want to re-record it and make it 10x better, whilst the album does offer some glimmer of hopes here and there, listeners may disobey their Metal traits for once and listen to Justin Bieber, back to square one for the Italian trio. [2] RHYS STEVENSON  MITIGATE
'Welcome To Our World' Austrian Symphonic / Melodic Death Metal trio Mitigate make their debut album 'Welcome To Our World' sound out with axes raised high in view of the masses. Much goes by the basic drumming but more attention is drawn to the vocals of which give two contrasting feelings, one of majestic feeling and the other of being slaughtered, whilst conventionally the music has some progressive elements to it - especially in the symphonies, but even so the latter is a just reflection of 'Dimmu Borgir-like' symphonic metal. Mitigate for who they are, have created a separate sound regardless of the common drum sounds, rest assured it can only get better. [6] RHYS STEVENSON GMN - Vol59 - Sleepless Pariah, Crash Mansion, Inner Fortress, Our Fallen, Julian's Lullaby24/12/2011  SLEEPLESS PARIAH 'Sleepless Pariah EP' Hailing from South-East Essex, the debut self-titled EP by Sleepless Pariah is a sure sign much more is to come, with a backbone of Metalcore and flesh of Thrash Metal being included, this is perhaps the sign that the Essex Metal scene is going to explode, whilst the music itself at full blast offers a solid smacking-in-your-face of gritty, sweaty balls-metal, the recording itself could be a lot better, clarity lacks on here, but none the less a first attempt not worth dismissing - with a cascade of riffs enough to blow your pants off and drumming brutal enough to crush a human to a pulp, Sleepless Pariah are perhaps the local metal scene's next biggest hope, prepare the lifeboats, the flood has just begun. [7] RHYS STEVENSON  CRASH MANSION 'Wild 'N' Wicked' Guns 'N' Roses meets Avenged Sevenfold with the band Crash Mansion, with some added glam into mix, but with their 2011 release 'Wild 'N' Wicked', the genre is clear: Hard Rock / Heavy Metal. Sensational riffs built around a fortress of immense drumming and volatile vocals, all coming together to provide a unique sound from this Southend quartet. Taking musical styles from bands in the 1980's Crash Mansion have set out to keep the old traditions alive whilst mixing modern music in the works, 'Wild 'N' Wicked' is a clear sign that the quartet have got the right direction and that they have what it takes to keep British rock alive. 'Wild 'N' Wicked' is without a doubt for fans of A7X, GNR, Cinema Bizarre and all 1980's rock music. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  INNER FORTRESS 'Inner Fortress EP' Slaughtering their way through the underground to unleash a torrent of missiles upon Essex is Southend Death Metal / Thrash Metal / Metalcore quintet Inner Fortress with their self-titled EP released this year, blasting the fists of fury on the drums and thunder-striking the guitars, Inner Fortress muscle through five tracks of pure solid Metal, hard enough to crack your balls in half. With clear influences coming from bands like Metallica in the Thrash section, Unleashed in the Death Metal arena and BFMV in the Metalcore quarters, Inner Fortress are hotly tipped to make it count in the next few years, this golden shit has only just begun. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  OUR FALLEN 'Our Fallen 2010 promo Sampler' Skull-smashing Deathcore corrupts all those who listen to Our Fallen, sheer brutality is powerful enough to castrate your testicles, this is the 2010 promo sampler by the quintet from New Zealand and by far did the sheep in country sheep go insanely mental, this release ought to come with a health warning,. Kicking off with their 2010 single 'Tragedy if The Commons' and their 2009 EP 'Prey For The Weak' as a follow up (in three tracks), seriously this is enough to make you lose all sanity, by far the heaviest band out of the New Zealand Metal scene, you better run and hide, because this is going to hunt you and haunt you down forever. [10.0000000] RHYS STEVENSON  JULIAN'S LULLABY
'Dreaming Of Your Fears' STF Greek Heavy / Symphonic Metal septet produce a delinquent level of sheer beautifully-crafted songs to soothe and calm the listener into pure and lavish softness and relaxation, this is by the delightful female vocals and symphonies crafted by the multitude of instruments, all in all summing up their debut album 'Dreaming Of Your Fears'. Adding the magnificent sounds of violins to the production, this is perhaps a light side of the Greek culture (and economy), but even the music does not equate to any of the previous mentioned things, all in all a well crafted release, one full of potential shown by the band. [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON  RAVENLAND 'And A Crow Brings Me Back' FREE MIND / RAVENHEART As dark and mysterious as the forests of the South American continent, the 2009 debut album release by Brazilian Gothic Metal quintet (now sextet) Ravenland. 'And A Crow Brings Me Back' utilises much of the Bauhaus / Poisonblack sound, but whilst their lies no real feminine feel to the release, the male vocals dominate as well as accentuate the supporting music into complete overdrive, this is perhaps a cliché when referring to the politeness of the Brazilians of which is deemed better than most Europeans, but whilst the music conveys a shadowy message, the overall release is one of question and somewhat confounding. [7] RHYS STEVENSON  ONLY FATE REMAINS 'Breathe' RAVENHEART This is the storm that the Netherlands has long been waiting for, a force to be reckoned with and one to knock the Dutch Metal scene into full throttle, this of course is the Gothic Metal quintet Only Fate Remains and their absolutely outstanding and beautifully crafted debut album 'Breathe'. With clear background symphonies and vocals in the style of Within Temptation, it seems to be that this Amsterdam five-piece have what it takes to dethrone Within Temptation cleanly. It has darkness, it has timed notes, it has erotic-covered atmosphere and a sense of being rooted in the rock sense with the Clan Of Xymox, none the less 'Breathe' is definitely Dutch Metal album of the year. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  WEEPING SILENCE 'Theatre Of Life' RAVENHEART 2011 marks the return of Malta's most loved Gothic Doom Metal band Weeping Silence, who unleash their sophomore album 'Theatre Of Life' to the masses and in sensational style, with heavenly vocals guiding the band to the perfect tune, the keyboard notes add a more darker Gothic feel to the music, whilst the drums and guitars follow lead, but in all seriousness, it would seem the Doom Metal is not really present, that ironically is a good thing, for the style of music Weeping Silence demonstrate on 'Theatre Of Life', it would be awful to marry it up with any more Doom Metal, but as it is, this is definitely Maltese Metal album of the year. [8.5] RHYS STEVENSON  SILENT OPERA 'Immortal Beauty' RAVENHEART As beautiful as the sopranos of ancient Rome and as majestic as long-gone Pavarotti, the Italian Symphonic Metal outfit Silent Opera make their notes count with their dramatic and theatrical debut album 'Immortal Beauty', featuring operatic vocals powerful enough to challenge Therion to a duel, but yet the vocals are so heavenly, the listener is easily captivated by the soft, soothing sounds of the music and vocals. The outfits depicted in the album release signify the elegancy of the Italian renaissance and at that the music delivers the final touches. Symphonies flow like a cascading waterfall and the stage provides the perfect dramatic setting, Silent Opera is due to take Europe by storm. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  FALLEN FATE
'The Virus Has Spread' With clear influences of Lamb Of God and Thrash-neck speed influence of Slayer, English Thrash crackpots Fallen Fate explode onto the scene with their insanely blitzing debut album 'The Virus Has Spread'. Fast, brutal and sensationally bombastic, the quartet from County Durham bring out the mentally challenging and pummelling sound of Thrash riffs in quick succession whilst whipping in solo's found in such Lamb Of God tracks i.e. 'walk with me in hell', the guitar intro is similar to that of Fallen Fate's 'Origin of Sin' solo. With breakdowns also in the wing, this is potentially the new style to craze the underground into complete overdrive, hail the Thrashcore; this is because 'The Virus Has Spread'. [8] RHYS STEVENSON GMN - Vol57 - Synarchy, The Apocryphal Order, Krv, Behold Thy End / Our Fallen, Heaven The Axe21/12/2011  SYNARCHY 'Tear Up The World' TUTL Returning with their highly-anticipated second album is Faroese Melodic Thrash belters Synarchy, their second album 'Tear Up The World' unleashes more torrential downpours of sensational riffs, unassailable drumming and valiant vocals, powerful enough to make any Viking run away scared. Coming from a small Metal scene, Synarchy are due to be the next big Faroese Metal export after Tyr and essentially are laying down the way for fellow countrymen to follow in their footsteps. With 'Tear Up The World' at the hands of the masses, there is no stopping now for the quintet of Tórshavn, as they 'Tear Up The World' and fly the flag for the Faroese Metal scene; without a doubt Faroese Metal album of the year. [10] RHYS STEVENSON  THE APOCRYPHAL ORDER 'The Apocryphal Order' TUTL Smashing through the inlets and cliffs of the Faroe Islands is the new-born band The Apocryphal Order with their debut self-titled EP, with its no nonsense slaughtering sound of rapid drumming, bone-crushing riffs and unearthly vocals, this quartet from Tórshavn unleash pure hell in four tracks, with a delicate balance of Death Metal growls with the music itself bearing the forefront for the Thrash Metal half. Unlike your generic Death / Thrash signature sound, this Faroese lot score each note to perfection and use the timing extremely well, sounding like a cross of Unleashed and modern Scandinavian Thrash Metal, The Apocryphal Order is taking the next step to becoming the darkest force in the Faroe Islands. [8] RHYS STEVENSON  KRV 'Ograma' NORTHERN HORDE / ZERO BUDGET PRODS 'Ograma' is Krv's fourth and ultimately last album, in its post-humours state it includes the 5 track EP 'U Kamenom Grobu', this is a fitting way to end the Bosnian Black Metal band's eight year life. Soothingly dark and raw, the 10 track album (and 5 track EP) offer a disturbing yet intricate way of performing Black Metal in your native tongue, essentially this band give a rather ethical approach to their music, regretfully they are no longer active but will be revered to as an underground band in the Bosnian Metal scene. [6] RHYS STEVENSON  BEHOLD THY END & OUR FALLEN 'Behold Thy End & Our Fallen' Two New Zealand Death Metal / Deathcore underground maniacs come crashing together to unleash a split of murderous proportions, with Behold Thy End cooking up a ferocious assault of blasphemous Death Metal in its sickest and most vile form whilst Our Fallen deliver a face-smacking slaughter of gritty Deathcore. Whilst Our Fallen sadly is on hiatus, Behold Thy End seems to still be active, just. None the less this split is one enough to explode any party into overdrive and make the fireworks seem more like petty popping candy. Without a doubt this is the heaviest release from the New Zealand Metal scene this year and one full of potential for both bands, just don’t count on any compromise. [8] + [9] RHYS STEVENSON  HEAVEN THE AXE
'Sex, Chugs & Rock 'N' Roll' Sexiness’, sleek and extremely riot grrrl, this is Australia's bad boys and girl band Heaven The Axe who utilise an erotic style of Hard Rock / Heavy Metal, this comes with their eccentric debut album 'Sex, Chugs & Rock 'N' Roll', full of the AC/DC rock spirit and Iron Maiden music composure, none the less don’t be fooled by the hot-chick-in-a-band cliché, Phoebe Pinnock means business with her devilish vocals and heavenly attitude, all of which backed by four exceptionally talented musicians gives Heaven The Axe the motive to take the world by storm. Australian rock and roll will never be the same again, without a doubt Australian Metal album of the year 2011. [9] RHYS STEVENSON |
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