GMN - Vol36 - Fading Circles, Insinnerator, Synthetic Breed, Losna, Nocturn Deambulation

FADING CIRCLES
'Cyber Whirlwind'

Although based in Romania, the Hungarian trio Fading Circles make their imminent return with their Progressive / Power Metal tune in the shape of their sophomore full-length 'Cyber Whirlwind'. Whilst the music itself has a tendency to shift speed slightly, the solo's do the talking and in this add a certain level of magic to the album. Whilst not conventionally fast like Sonata Arctica, Fading Circles tone down the speed and add a atmospheric feel to it, casting a mysticism shadow over the listener, but leaving them stumped to what has just happened, simply due to the clear fact that the music itself saddles within the Progressive Metal vein but the vocals sit in the Power Metal side and so therefore two genres collide, providing an unique experience.

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

INSINNERATOR
'Stalagmite Of Ice'

Making their debut is Texan Thrash Metal moguls Insinnerator and their debut album 'Stalagmite Of Ice', with their balls of fury sound and easy-to-recognize 'cowboy' accent. But don't let that y'all be put off, for this quartet bring in as much Slayer influence as Calgary has for beef. Fast, slick, sick and mesmerizingly beautiful, Insinnerator is the new breed of Texan Thrash, scintillating any previous releases with a stroke of neat musicianship. Guaranteed for a make-shift moshpit and wall of death, the four Americans know their Thrash inside and out and were born to be insane Thrashers. Just don't wince at the album or when the band stabs you with a 'Stalagmite Of Ice'.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

SYNTHETIC BREED
'Perpetual Motion Machine'
SYMBIOTIC

Cybernetics spring to mind with Synthetic Breed's sophomore album 'Perpetual Motion Machine', the Australian Cyber / Industrial Death Metal trio (now quartet) exert a force of brutal heaviness with glorious funk tunes in a parallel motion of fury-laden dance grooves. Whilst not as heavy as fellow countrymen The Berzerker, the industrial parts can be likened to that of Swiss band Breach The Void. What could make the sound much more appertaining would be synthesizers, adding a further industrial feel to it and a sense of atmosphere. None the less this is one album to captivate fans and music critics alike, a true blend of brutal music with body-moving pulsation.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

LOSNA
'Wild Hallucinations'

Fourteen years have eclipsed since Brazil's Crossover Thrashers Losna came up with their return statement, yet they return with their sophomore album 'Wild Hallucinations' with a little disappointment setting in, the thrash stance seems to have depleted, but none the less this is a release with a bowlful of guts and strategic brutality on all levels. With the bass guitar clearly heard, it adds a sense of raw music to it, adding a new level of customized harshness. With Losna 'Wild Hallucinations' is a fair decent attempt, but some minor changes are needed, the music needs a little more Sepultura in it.

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

NOCTURN DEAMBULATION
'The Grand Opening'

French Death Metal newbies Nocturn Deambulation implore their own stance on the metal genre with a circus and surgical procedure-based debut album entitled 'The Grand Opening', so much for the merry go round as this album takes the listener on a windy maze of ferocious drumming, exquisite vocals and phantasmagoria in lieu of their ravenous riffs. Whilst the band immerse themselves within the repertoire of la cirque d'hiver, this is perhaps an entirely new sound on it's own. Majestically sounding and essentially brutal, 'The Grand Opening' is without a doubt French Death Metal album of the year 2011.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON