Band: MESMERIZE
Country: Italy
Title: Paintropy
Label: Punishment 18 Records
Year: 2013
Style: Heavy Metal
Review:
Since 1988 Mesmerize has been churning out the metal that keeps their fans above the water, and in 1991 their first demo was finally released. Well, four full length records later, "Paintropy" is number 5, Mesmerize continues to release their brand of Heavy Metal to the masses. "Paintropy" delivers the religious themes and other cool concepts with 12 full tracks totaling just over 52 minutes of music. Old school all the way with topics ranging from religion to no faith in the human race to the always wonderful grim thought of complete betrayal. There are all kinds of different influential marks on "Paintropy" like melodic feelings, blasting metal at times to some down right evil vocal abilities. There is something for everybody on this offering and Mesmerize has certainly come into their own with "Paintropy". Up and down, side to side, when this is over you will have probably smashed your head into the wall 50 times with happiness! Black Metal, heavy Metal, Death Metal, all the influences are outlined throughout tracks like "It Happened Tomorrow", "One Door Away", and "Master Plan". Mesmerize does Italy well with "Paintropy" and the 54 minutes of playing time kicks some major ass. Nothing to get tired of with Mesmerize. Hopefully another 20 years of metal will be churned out by this great band. I like it!
Reviewed by Lex Luther
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
Artist: MIASMIC THEORY
Country: Sweden
Title: Sound of Desperation
Label: Dead Hand Label
Year: 2012
Style: Death Thrash Groove Metal
Review:
After a year well spent in the studio "Miasmic Theory" released their first debat album "Sound of Desperation". The album starts with the track "failure" wich was made into a video clip & turns to be one of the best tracks in the album, the track from the beginning starts with powerful guitar rythms & leads into the dual vocal growls that will surely get you off your seat, the one guitar focused on ryhtm lines & the two growling vocals with speed drum lines intensify the band image of being a straight forward hardcore headbanging band, the change of mood in the middle of the track was a nice touch for my ears, the bass had many shinning moments like in the track "alive". The third track which carries the albums name shows the same fast powerfull riffs & vocals with one hell of a glloping riff in the middle. The album's outro "Depression From Nowhere" was a great disclosure to the album with the low mesmerizing tempo & the deep screams. The guitarist did a good job through the album but being alone affected the lead parts in the album which was very limited, the bass did a good a job empowering the sound of the guitar & I believe he can have a bigger part in their upcoming work, the drums did the job right & the vocals was right on tone but in conclusion some of the tracks felt a little bit repetitive
for me I hope the upcoming album shows more diversity in the tracks taste. Talking about self struggles, hope & despair made The lyrics very interesting to read & made the concept of the album much deeper experience & will give you a gtreat push fighting your own wars which what music is really about not only for having good time listening to it but also have a huge influence in our personality & life. Sound of Desperation was a very good start for the band to kick off their act & they shows good technicality & attitude & with more experimenting with music & some time this band can leave their print in the music scene.
Reviewed by Tarek
Rating: 7/10
Contact:
Band: MYSTICAL
Country: Portugal
Title: Demo I
Label: Hellprod.
Year: 2012
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Mystical is a Portuguese trio formed in 2003 (!) but who managed to release only this demo so far, I don't even know if the band is still active or not. This demo is dated 2007, but was recently re-released by Hellprod in tape format limited to only 50 copies. The band also features one ex. In Tha Umbra member, a much more known band hailing from Portugal, so to some extent that should be a quality asurance, and in fact the music on this demo is not bad at all: fast Black Metal with hysterical screams, repetitive but interesting guitar riffs, a bass line that I think has pretty interesting structures but unfortunately I can barely hear it. On teh other hand the drum-machine is awful like 90% of all drum-machines, the rare keyboard passages are really amateurish, and the mixing and mastering could have been much better, I hate the fact I cannot hear what seems to be either an exquisite bass line or a second layer of guitars pushed too much in the back. Too bad, the guys seem to have the necessary talent to create interesting music, but on this demo they failed... If you like raw, primitive Black Metal with occasional keyboard passages maybe you'll like this demo better than I did
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6/10
Contact:
Band: NABAATH
Country: Russia
Title: Central-A-Triangle
Label: Noizr Productions
Year: 2011
Style: Black Death Metal
Review:
New band to my ears and at the same time quite an old release since it was recorded and released in 2011. Nabaath comes from Russia and from what I hear on this second album they seem to know their way pretty good: a mid-tempo to fast paced Black Metal with Death Metal influences, dark atmospheres, technical compositions and execution, and above all pretty curdled songs with a nice flow and no space for boredom. To me they remind of Marduk, but there's more to it, Nabaath is not a copycat for sure, they are building up using also lots of elements from the nowadays Black Death Metal pattern. The sound quality is very good and I'd say the production is perfect for this type of music, there was nothing annoying or out of line during the 42 minutes of Nabaath's second album. A good band, able to create and deliver top notch execution and heavy atmospheres, who knows, maybe we'll hear more about them in the future, it's just that they are around so many other excellent Black Death Metal bands nowadays, competition is fierce...
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
Band: NEFASTU
Country: Portugal
Title: Versículo II - As Profecias do Caos
Label: Purodium Rekords
Year: 2012
Style: Black Metal
Review:
The second demo from this Portuguese quartet was released last year by Purodium Rekords in tape format limited to 100 copies. It's a pure Black Metal release based on rhythms ranging from mid-tempo to fast and displaying a cold, quite terrifying atmosphere. The sound quality is not that good and at times I'm really pissed on it, the guitars seem to be doing a very good job on melting riffs into a final fine flowing discharge of anger. The vocal, although not versatine enough does a good job, and the drums, although not complex at all are fitting prefectly with this music, especially on the fast parts. Fanatics of raw Black Metal will appreciate this band.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7/10
Contact:
Band: NEITH
Country: Italy
Title: Then I
Label: Black Tears of Death
Year: 2013
Style: Death Metal
Review:
Labelling this as pure Death Metal is a bit off track, but indeed it has its major influences from Death Metal. Neith's debut album could be labelled as a mix of Death Metal, Heavy Metal, Groove Metal and a hint of old-school Doom Metal, at least some structures are 100% Heavy Doom oriented. It's a nice flowing music, quite simple served, but interesting enough to capture my attention for a few spins. If you're looking for simple, semi-technical, semi-melodic, semi-aggressive (well, all seems to be half dosed) and old-school to the bone Neith might be a good choice. Although the sound is crystal clear and you can follow all instruments, it sounds too raw and unpolished for Today's standards, there are multiple spots when the guitar is left alone and it all sounds like something's missing - this might be because of the song structures as well, of course, but the simple sound emphasizes this feeling. Not a bad debut album but they need more work to break through.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6.5/10
Contact:
Band: NOCTURNE
Country: Austria
Title: Nahash
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2013
Style: Black Metal
Review:
A duo from Austria founded in 2006, or at least that's what Metal Archives says, but who managed to release this debut demo only this year. Not a good premise for a band that's interested in moving further, but there are some objective reasons behind this "delay" and they are now all set to storm the Metal scene. Anyway, this demo is made of 4 long tracks totaling almost 23 minutes, and it was released in a limited edition of only 100 hand-numbered copies. If their band history isn't too promising, I can't say the same for their music; Nocturne plays fast paced, semi-technical Black Metal, and does it very well, not original to melt your brains, but well structured, diverse and nice flowing. At times it also gives the impression of Pagan inclined, when the riffs become really epic, so many they are aiming for a Pagan Black Metal for the future, but since this demo is also very fast and brutal I couldn't say for sure. A good band that may reserve some nice surprises for us for the near future.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
Band: NOT LAST RISE
Country: Russia
Title: Sfumato
Label: Eerie Torture
Year: 2013
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Debut album from this Russian trio, "Sfumato" is made of only 4 tracks but their total playing time exceeds 50 minutes. The album starts off with a pretty chaotic and weird Black Metal track where every member seems to play its own, differnt track, nothing seems to curdle and it becomes annoying after a short while. The next two tracks are a bit better structured combining fast paced Black Metal with slow, tormenting Funeral Doom like passages. The last track is the best one on this release, with better guitar leads, audible bass lines this time (until here you can barely distinguish this instrument) and also the chaotic structures seems to link better one to another. The vocals are high pitched shrieks without much variation, so a bit boring. The final conclusion is of a band that has good technical skills but tried a bit more than they can handle on this debut album.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7/10
Contact:
Band: REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER
Country: France
Title: Regarde les hommes tomber
Label: Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions
Year: 2013
Style: Sludge Post Black Metal
Review:
They say they recorded drums in a warehouse and that might be credible, but recording guitars and bass in a cold hut is already a show off lie... Does that mean they are out of tune on the whole record? Doesn't seem so. Anyway, besides these marketing tricks RLHT managed to create an interesting, heavy, easily flowing and entertaining debut album that will certainly make its mark on the scene and prove this band is a serious name to keep in mind. 7 tracks, almost 40 minutes of playing, excellent production and a convincing performance, RLHT is a Post Black Metal meets Sludge band that will appeal to fans of both genres and more, so if you're into hopeless, apocalyptic atmospheres go grab this album.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
Band: SARTEGOS
Country: Spain
Title: As Fontes do Negrume
Label: Bloody Productions
Year: 2013
Style: Black Death Metal
Review:
It seems this material was supposed to be released on vinyl by Chalice of Blood Angel Prod., but ended up being released on CD by Bloody Prod., have no idea why. 5 tracks (+ intro and outro) of bestial, blasphemic, mid-tempo, dark Black Death Metal with quite raw sound, oppressing atmospheres, and although the band is made of only 2 guys, the technical execution is fairly professional and interesting avoiding moments of boredom (I would have liked more of those guitar solos). Anyway, this is some dirty, to the bone old-school Black Death Metal for underground maniacs only. Not original but at the same time not boring either, I won't be surprised if Sartegos will end up becoming an important name for this old-school revival, at least in Spain.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: /10
Contact:
Band: SECTIONED
Country: International
Title: Purulent Reality
Label: Paragon Records
Year: 2010
Style: Death Metal
Review:
Probably this band is still alive since I have received this 2010 album for a review, maybe they are preparing for some come-back soon, or maybe I have received it from the label and they only wanted to promote what they still have on stock, I don't remember. Anyway, the band's crispy but heavy enough guitar riffs reminded me of Bolt Thrower and I think that's their major influence. Than there's a sticky blend with the old-school US Death Metal especially on the guitar leads and solos part (think of Morbid Angel, Massacre and even Death - some vocal parts too), plus a groovy yet technical drumming part that feels well-thought and well fit in this context. The sound quality is not the best around but Traditional Death Metal fans will enjoy this unpolish atmosphere and after all you can easily follow any and all instruments without problems. Not a boring album, recommended for '90's Death Metal fanatics.
I have also received their 2007 Promo CD featuring 3 tracks from this album and an intro. The style is of course similar, the sound is a bit rawer (don't like the drums' sound), but this would have been a good choice if released on tape. Anyway, the band has improved from 2007 to 2010 so it should be the case for a new release soon...
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
Band: SKINLEPSY
Country: Brazil
Title: Condemning the Empty Souls
Label: Shinigami Records
Year: 2013
Style: Thrash Death Metal
Review:
Made of veteran instrumentists of the Brazilian Extreme Metal scene (ex Nervochaos, Pentacrostic, Siegrid Ingrid, a.o. members), Skinlepsy present on their debut album what they call a "Brutal Thrash Metal", a mixture of Thrash and Death Metal, dirty and heavy as hell, that somehow made me nostalgic of old Sepultura albums. In their case Skinlepsy are successfully blending Thrash Metal kind of comprehensive powerful screams, Sepultura like groovy yet extremely metallic sounding and catchy guitar riffs, double-bass lead drumming, awesome chaotic guitar solos and the end result is a complex, entertaining form of old-school Thrash Death prefect for both fanatics of speed and followers of more headbanging-friendly type of rhythms. Great production to top all of this, so definitely a recommended album for fans of balanced mixtured of Thrash and Death Metal.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10
Contact:
Band: SODOMOPHILIA
Country: Iraq
Title: Demo 2013
Label: Salute Records
Year: 2013
Style: Death Metal
Review:
Funny fact: it was almost impossible for me to read the band's name, their logo isn't the friendliest around and there's no mention of it or any contact on the cover/booklet but finally I saw the first track title resembles with the logo and lucky me, that is it, Sodomophilia. How can anyone release a CD (especially a debut demo CD) without mentioning any contact details? That's stupid. Anyway, the band comes from Iraq (yeah, really!) and tries to play a brutal type of Death Metal, fast paced, with limited old-school but also slam influences, growling vocals and low tuned bass lines. The problem is, or better said are the extremely synthetic drum machine sound and the very thin overall sound production, instead of being shocked by the brutality such a band should unleash on you, this demo sounds like it's a computer game. On the other hand the good thing is these guys are good instrumentists, there are some pretty rad guitar riffs and bass lines on this demo, and the vocalist is the only minacing element on it, but as a demo I think it's a good start, promising, we might meet this name again (well, if they don't forget mentioning it...).
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6/10
Contact:
Band: SXUPERION
Country: USA
Title: Satanic Idol Whoreship
Label: Bloody Mountain Records
Year: 2011
Style: Black Death Metal
Review:
Great looking (all black) DIY digipack CD including a tracks list sheet and that's pretty much all, Sxuperion's debut EP looks exactly how its music sounds like: primitive, unpure and black as coal. This is a one man band from USA that was seemingly started back in 1998, but Satanic Idol Whoreship is its debut EP released 7 years after its one and only demo. Music-wise the EP is incessant assalut of brutal rhythms, low tunned, with barely audible guitar riffs and occasional dissonant-like guitar leads and solos, unhuman, frightening vocals; one of the most brutal, most terrifying atmospheres I've heard this year. Although at first glimpse it may sound unprofessional and awful sounding, this EP is actually very well thought and presented, it reminded me of the first Beherit recordings and maybe of some South-American demons like Goat Semen, I'm really surprised of enjoying this so much.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
Band: TERRORTORY
Country: Sweden
Title: City of Ghosts
Label: Discouraged Records
Year: 2013
Style: Thrash Death Metal
Review:
Terrortory has been on the scene for a long time, longer than one would think. That time has brought upon the metal world a 4 track offering "City of Ghosts". Terrortory has a buzzsaw sound that gives a feeling of the old Swedish sound from Gothenburg, ala Entombed! I am reminded of bands like At The Gates and others when I listen to this disc, but nothing else has changed as far as style and sound goes. Terrortory delivers their brand of technical metal in the form they always have done in the past. Strong, fast, and a great production. Originality will never be mentioned in any of my reviews because in today's metal world originality cannot exist! But one thing for sure Terrortory bulls through tracks like "City of Ghosts" and "Beheading the Serpent". 4 equally well tracks done old school and tough. For those of us who enjoy the old style sound mixed with a new type of production and slickness, and a chainsaw! Terrortory keeps metal interesting and hopefully not much time will pass until their next offering.
Reviewed by Lex Luther
Rating: 7/10
Contact:
Band: TIRAN
Country: Russia
Title: Necrophiliac Dreams
Label: Dead Center Productions
Year: 2012
Style: Thrash Metal
Review:
After 2 full-length albums Tiran are back with a new EP to keep things hot and up to date, and that's not bad at all, especially since this EP was released in both vinyl and tape format and I guess it's only a matter of time until they will release it on CD as well. Old-school Thrash Metal with serious Death Metal influences, raw and straight forward like in the end '80's, with organic sound, mid-tempo to fast rhythms, lots of grooves but still very aggressive and obscure. Good work on guitars, enjoyable mix of screams and growls, impressive bass lines and powerful drumming, that's what we're treated with on this new EP. Even if at times it may sound too dry, if you're into old-school you'll certainly get it. Nothing groundbreaking here, but about 10 minutes of well structured, honest Thrash Metal for nostalgics.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
Band: TYRANT'S KALL
Country: Belgium
Title: Dagon
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2012
Style: Heavy Doom Death Metal
Review:
I'm getting more and more Belgian material for reviews lately, maybe that means the scene over there is starting to thrive and that can only be good. Tyrant's Kall is an awesome representative of this scene, a band that has been around since 2008 but only released a demo prior to this debut album, and in fact 2 of the 3 tracks from that demo are now re-recorded and listed among the 7 existent here. Basically the band plays a Traditional Doom Metal but the influences from Death Metal, Heavy Metal and even Thrash Black Metal are abvious, the atmosphere created is both groovy and dirty, and since the band is female fronted and the girl does a wonderful job on both growls (comprehensive) and clean (she has a nice melodic yet angry tone) vocals, you will be easily drown into their Lovecraftian soundscapes. The guitar riffs are not boring or over-repetitive at all, the compositions are well crafted with good taste so all in all I have deeply enjoyed this debut album and would recommend it to both Traditional Doom Metallers and followers of dirty Thrash Black Death Metal. Listen loud and drunk!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
Band: WALK THROUGH FIRE
Country: Sweden
Title: Furthest from Heaven
Label: Aesthetic Death
Year: 2011
Style: Sludge Metal
Review:
By their satanic image I seriously thought I was going to deal with a Black Metal band, or at least a very angry, old-school Death Metal, but Walk Through Fire actually play a slow paced, tormenting combination of Sludge and Post Metal with screamed vocals and a harsh abuse of the same guitar riffs over and over again resembling more with the nowadays DSBM or Funeral Doom atmospheres. Unfortunately this second album from Walk Through Fire had no effect over me, I was constantly waiting for something more to happen and it never did. On the other hand I have enjoyed the crystal clear production and the bass lines, but that won't be enough for me to play it again, sorry.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6/10
Contact:
Band: WOMB
Country: Portugal
Title: The Rope in Our Hands Stretches for Miles
Label: Purodium Rekords
Year: 2012
Style: Black Metal
Review:
A mysterious project with unknown line-up, Womb plays a raw, fast and quite primitive form of Black Metal with hints of Thrash Black Metal. Short tracks, catchy rhythms perfect for unleashing hell during a live gig, but unfortunately not backed up by a good sound quality they are getting annoying after a few plays. I have played this tape for 3 or 4 times now and I can say the vocals are starting to get on my nerves, but maybe I'm not used to their style of playing and to such rehearsal / live recordings. the whole demo doesn't last for much more than 20 minutes even though it features 11 tracks, so I guess giving it a chance wouldn't hurt especially if you're into fast, uncompromising, raw Black Metal.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10
Contact: