Band: MARTINA TOSI & IMPALED BITCH

Country: Italy

Title: Enigma

Label: Lady Music Records

Year: 2011

Style: Melodic Death Metal

Review:

I think this is the first time I'm seeing a CD with the lyrics writer mentioned on the front cover as the main creator of the contents. Not that this is bad or anything, it's just strange. By already knowing Impaled Bitch's music, I was really curious what this collaboration will sound like as I thought Martina is also playing vocals inhere, but I was wrong, obviously. Martina wrote the lyrics for this EP and found Soso from the Italian Death Grind act Impaled Bitch to help her out with the music and performance. I have no idea what Martina's lyrics are about, but the music is not really the best thing around. There are so many genres all stuffed together that after listening to it you wonder what it was all about, what did they want to transmit through it. The sound is poor, again, like in Impaled Bitch's case, and too synthetic. The tracks are not bad if you take them one by one, but taken all together they make no sense, there's no curdeled vision on this EP and it seems like it's made for friends, for fun, just to kill a boring day. Even the sound varies from track to track, from bad to worse...

Reviewed by Adrian

Rating: 5.5/10

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Band: NARGAROTH

Country: Germany

Title: Spectral Visions of Mental Warfare

Label: No Colours Records

Year: 2010

Style: Ambient Black Metal

Review:

Seventh album for this one man project hailing from Germany, "Spectral Visions..." comes in two formats, Digi-CD and Double-LP, the LP version having 5 tracks more than the CD one. I have the CD version here, so I'll just comment on that. Nargaroth is not exactly the band that everyone into Black Metal loves, but one thing is certain, Ash, the man behind it, doesn't give a crap on others' opinions and continue doing his thing. The first tracks are ok, some sort of Ambient with Black Metal hints here and there deeply influenced by Burzum, "Daudi Baldrs" era, at a level that fans of that Burzum will surely enjoy it, but then the 5th track has some electro influences that have nothing to do with what Nargaroth used to play, nothing to do with nature, forests, loneliness or such, it's just an experiment that I doubt will make the day of Nargaroth's fans, it's also 10 minutes long and boring to death (and so is the last track). The tracks 6 and 7 are slow and repetitive Black Metal guitar riffs based, but quite boring as well. All in all this album is like made by a debutant project with no ferm orientation, a disapointment in what concerns the whole CD, although I have enjoyed the Burzum inspired Ambient tracks.

Reviewed by Adrian

Rating: 6/10

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Band: OPRICH

Country: Russia

Title: Sever Volnyi

Label: Casus Belli Musica

Year: 2010

Style: Folk Metal

Review:

A lot of pagan metal bands (folk/black, black etc), which lyrics relate in any way for nationalism have charakteristic, unpleasant sounds... But Oprich is a one of special cases.  „Sever Volnyi” was realased in 2010 and this is really folkmetal. That means – this is not blackmetal with electronic fluits in music backgrounds, this sounds included a lot of folk motifs. Oprich is Russian band that is why try to play „slavic” folk, but a lot of sounds are similar to typical celtic, baltic (lithuanian) or german’s motifs in european folkmetal. Nevertheless this material is much better than „nsbm mediocrity”, it possible to listen as folkmetal. Lyrics included really slavic heathen atmosphere, tracks are varied and interesring, lead singer has a really good voice. „Sever Volnyi” is a good balance beetween „pride and glory of Russian Nation” and inteligent mixed  folk and metal, this album include a lot of typical Russian pathos but Oprich is one of of those Russian teams, which can play guitars and has idea and consequence activity. In any case - a pleasant surprise, the best track is a song about Slavic Midsummer (Kupala).

Reviewed by Vilcin

Rating: 8.5/10

Band: OV HOLLOWNESS

Country: Canada

Title: Drawn to Descend

Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records

Year: 2011

Style: Ambient Black Metal

Review:

The second full-length album of this Canadian one man project, released a year after its debut, "Diminished", but this time Ov Hollowness started working with a label, Hypnotic Dirge, as the first album was self-released. The 6 tracks presented here are lasting for almost 50 minutes so you can easily guess these are long tracks, but the best thing about them is they are not boring at all. Without being nothing extraordinary or highly innovative "Drawn to Descend" manages to portrait some pretty good dark and melancholic tunes that fit perfectly the depressive lyrics. Good Black Metal screams supported by Bathory-like clean vocals, melancholic, repetitive guitar lines that try to explore some beyond Black Metal areas, and simple drumming and bass line that are quite effective and even though I think the drums are programmed, they are not annoying at all. A good release that I kindly recommend to all Ambient Black Metal followers out there.

Reviewed by Adrian

Rating: 8/10

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Band: SCHATTENLICHT

Country: Austria

Title: Einnerung

Label: Seelengreif Klangwelten

Year: 2011

Style: Black Metal

Review:

As an opening note it would be fun to hear an English speaking person trying to pronounce this label's name: Seelengreif Klangwelten. Schattenlicht presents us here their debut album, a 7 tracks effort lasting for less than half an hour, so it would have been better presented as an EP, but nowadays there are no more boundaries or definitions of releases types. The music is mostly mid-tempo Black Metal, organic sounding, aggressive but also with some melodic semi-acoustic elements here and there. Unfortunately the mixing of this album is not the best one around since the vocals and drums are too aggressive, too harsh for the melancholic line of the guitars. A bit more diversity on the guitar riffs wouldn't hurt too especially because the drummer seems to want to experiment more but has no space, and also some more guitar solos would have been great as the ones featured sound top-notch. Again I say this, the German language is perfect for this genre, its razor-sharp words seem to be made exactly for being part of Black Metal. As a conclusion Schattenlicht is a traditional (European type) Black Metal band who likes to add a fair amount of melody in its music and who released not a bad debut at all.

Reviewed by Adrian

Rating: 7.5/10

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Band: SOMNOLENT

Country: Ukraine

Title: Renaissance Unraveling

Label: Slow Burn Records

Year: 2011

Style: Progressive Sludge Metal

Review:

With a name such as this one you can only expect some Doom, some Funeral Doom, but that's wrong. It seems the band started out as a Funeral Doom Metal band indeed, but switched to a more progressive music along the way and now their music could be cathegorized as Progressive Sludge Metal, or going more into details it is a chaotic mix of lots and lots of different genres, elements, rhythms, and feelings. They seem to be good musicians, but they also seem to be quite bored of playing "usual" metal and interested in discovering new territories. That doesn't exactly works well on this release; as I said it is very chaotic and sounds more like a compilation of different bands that a full-lenght album of only one band. This diversity is good to an extent, but when taken to the extremes, when abused, it results in a lack of sense. So bottom line this is too weird for me to can cope with.

Reviewed by Adrian

Rating: 6/10

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Band: SPEED\KILL/HATE

Country: USA

Title: Out for Blood

Label: Hammerfist Records

Year: 2010

Style: Thrash Metal

Review:

Awesome album of this band that I'm nut sure if it's a real band or a project of Overkill's guitarist Dave Links. The frequence of released materials would lead me to think it's just a project for when time allows Dave to work on it. Anyway, this second album of Speed\Kill/Hate is extremely well done, a devastating slab of brutal Thrash Metal with Death Metal and Hardcore influences. From start till the finish these 10 tracks rip your ears appart with fat sounding guitar riffs, twisted solos, inventive rhythm section, and excellent raging comprehensive vocals. This is so brutal that it would make some Death and Grind bands look like puppies in front of a ferocious pit bull. Fast and fat Thrash Metal as it should be, awesome release!

Reviewed by Adrian

Rating: 10/10

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Band: STRIBOG

Country: Croatia

Title: U okovima Vjecnosti

Label: Murderous Production

Year: 2010

Style: Folk Black Metal

Review:

Stribog is one of the best Croatian folk/black metal bands, album „U Okovima Vjecnosti” (”The Bonds of Eternity”) is a quintesens of it. First track, called „Ancestal skies of Gold” is just a card, what Stribog playing now. This band started as pagan/folk metal band with black influences and contemporary Stribog (this word is a name of one of Slavic Gods – master of sky and winds). All this material is a very good ballance between wildernest of blackmetal vocals and speeds and atmospheric and melodic of folkmetal. Some parts of „U okovima Vjecnosti” may be associated by folkmetal maniacs with bands from the scene of Russian and Belarusian pagan/folkmetal. However Stribog chants by the female’s voice ballads motifs, a lot of fluits melodies beetween fast guitar riffs and charakteristic for Slavic blackmetallers male voice. Lyrics are a tales about Slavic legends (e.g. „Rusalka” – in Western Slavic Countries this is beautiful nymph who lives in forest but in Eastern Slavic Lands this is a little dangerous soul/ghost of the deceased died a violent or tragic) – and sth like this. I personally really like female vocals in a mix of opera and pquasi-folklore too. „U Okovima Vjecnosti” is one of the best Stribog’s album – from technically and substantively point of views. Last track („Okovi Vjecnosti”) is a neo-folk ballad. Summary: very good album!

Reviewed by Vilcin

Rating: 9/10

Band: THE SKELETAL

Country: USA

Title: The Plague Rituals

Label: Metal Inquisition

Year: 2011

Style: Death Metal

Review:

New US band having as front-man the famous Kam Lee known from his days in Death (Mantas) or Massacre. This is The Skeletal's debut album, a 9 tracks release lasting for 38 minutes. Apart from Kam Lee's very good and distinctive, comprehensive vocals, the band displays a great appetite for fast rhythms, catchy old-school guitar riffs, and solo moments for each of its members. A type of old-school Death Metal that can be considered both brutal and groovy, but with nothing linked to the nowadays type of Death Metal. I have to admit I love everything on this release and it's just my type of Death Metal, very comprehensive, honest, to the core, and with no effects at all.

Reviewed by Adrian

Rating: 9.5/10

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Band: TIRAN

Country: Russia

Title: Reborn Chaos

Label: Wings Of Destruction / Dead Center Prod.

Year: 2011

Style: Thrash Metal

Review:

Rather than a full line-up band Tiran seems to be more of a solo project of it's leader, Tiran, who's also the owner of Russian Wings Of Destruction label. Tiran as a band has been around since 2005 and managed to release a couple of demos, a single, and EP, and a full-length album before this new effort, "Reborn Chaos". "Reborn Chaos" is a 9 tracks effort lasting for 32 minutes of old-school raw, primitive sounding Thrash Metal the way it was done in the '80's. It even sounds like recorded on an analog equipment, so you've guessed it right, there's no digital, synthetic sounds on this release, only three guys playing mid-tempo to fast Thrash Metal a la old Sodom. So if you like your Thrash old-school and raw sounding (rehearsal-like), give Tiran a try, you might be pleasantly surprised by some of the riffs and other insertions they added in their music. 

Reviewed by Adrian

Rating: 7.5/10

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Band: VELOCIDAD ABSURDA

Country: Spain

Title: Reborn for the Extermination

Label: Hecatombe Records

Year: 2011

Style: Brutal Death Metal

Review:

Velocidad Absurda was formed in 1997, but split-up in 2004. In 2010 they have decided to restart working together and so this debut album came to life. 9 tracks, less than 30 minutes of playing (should be titled EP, though), brutal grinding Death Metal, that's the short description of "Reborn for the Extermination". The music is fast, heavy and these guys seem to rely more on creating brutal sounds than on trying to be the most technical aound, which is a good thing. Solid guitar riffs, insanely fast rhythms most of the times, guttural growls combined with squeals, raw, organic sound, this is an album that's not to miss if you like your Brutal Death Metal heavier and less technical. Still the volume on vocals is a bit too much and sometimes it tends to cover the instruments. The cover artwork is something worth mentioning for sure.

Reviewed by Adrian

Rating: 8/10

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Band: WACKHANALIJA

Country: Belarus

Title: V nadyezhdye na vashu smert

Label: Othal Productions

Year: 2010

Style: Atmospheric Black Metal

Review:

This material was recorded in 2006 and these sounds is very similar to underground demos of pagan metal bands from 90th. „In the hope of your death:” was recorded by two members (Pan Daminik – vocals and lyrics and Voislav – guitars, keys and music) and included a lot of doom, sorrow stylized by neofolk/folk motifs, a lot of „flowing” blackmetal music patterns. This music austerity is broken by keyboard’s atmosphere and long playing parts of tracks. Hovewer very simply riffs and typical sounds are absolutely nothing revelatory... One plus for Russian language’s lyrics, howewer pity that there is nothing in Belarusian. I suppose that this material will be great for orthodox blackmetal/underground pagan black fans, this is album just for trv fans who are not permitting any trade-offs. Sadness, sorrow, unholu whispers, painfull screams...  The last track is a cover of Darkthrone „Unholy Black Metal”. That’s all about this CD. Enjoy!

Reviewed by Vilcin

Rating: 7/10

Band: Various Artists

Country: Various

Title: Der Heidensturm Volume 3

Label: Sturmglanz Black Metal Manufaktur

Year: 2011

Style: Pagan Folk Metal

Review:

I'm glad i have the chance to review this new volume of Der Heindensturm compilation. Yansen from Sturmglanz is to be respected for what he tries to accomplish through these compilations, that is to promote some of the less known Folk and Pagan Metal bands. Volume 3 is splitted equally between Slavonic (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus) and Germanic (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) bands, and related to my taste in music this time the Slavonic bands won the battle, but let me say a few words on the bands and tracks featured on this compilation:

Yansen - Yansen's own project opens this volume with a track that made me think of a Pagan version of Bethlehem; I wouldn't call this aggressive, but fast and experimental, there is still a lot of work to do on this project

Satanakozel - Russian epic and melodic Folk Metal with repetitive guitar riffs and quite nice vocal parts; good but not mindblowing 

Ahnenstahl - Austrian epic Black Metal with good atmospheres, clean vox, keys, and a combination of melodic, doomy slow rhythms with fast, Black Metal; liked it although the drums sound is not the best around

Natural Spirit - a pretty complex composition ruined by the poor sound; Ukrainian Folk Metal with lots of melodies all over, loads of violins, acoustic guitars, whistles and keys

Vinterskog - Pagan Black Metal from Switzerland; great female vocals (raw and hoarse, Black Metal - like) but the istrumental parts has lots of rhythm breaks that do no good

Drygva - nice one, symphonic and melodic Pagan Metal with a Thrashy touch on guitars; the sympho parts with the more thrashy ones seem a bit forced, but if they continue on this manner they will certainly deliver some killer stuff; so far my fave band on this compilation (they are from Belarus)

Nebelsang - they seem undecided weather to go Melodic Black Metal or develop into a Black Death Metal band; no Pagan touches here, maybe on lyrics, and also the sound is a bit poor

Woodscream - great track, although it has nothing innovative or impressive, it sticks to your mind and that's the most important thing; light Folk Metal from Russia with female vocals

Asathor - good Viking Metal from Austria based on Heavy guitar riffs and leads, but ruined by the vocals (dull, uninspired and sounding like a joke)

Chur - this one seems to be an Ukrainian Folk Metal band, but on this track there's no trace of metal, it's just acoustic Folk music made of guitars, percussion, and a crappy keyboard; hope they have something better on other tracks, this one is boring

Minhyriath - Folk Death Metal from Switzerland; unfortunately the poor production make you think there are two different bands playing, a Folk one and a somehow melodic Death Metal one, there's no cohesion betwen the two elements

Znich - legendary Belarussian band, Znich seems to have lost most of their Folk instruments and now rely on keyboard to add the atmosphere; they are good, but I was used to their old stuff so it kind of disapointed me (Natural Spirit is closer to how Znich used to sound)

Nogroth - Humpaa-like Metal band from Germany, a bit too happy for my taste so I'll just skip it

Leshak - the same happy Metal stuff that I can't stand, but Leshak added a medieval-like flute that's a great addition, so after all I was able to enjoy the only 1:30 min of this track.

All in all, if you're into Folk, Pagan, Viking Metal you shouldn't miss this compilation, it's a great way to meet new bands. Sturmglanz deserves your support!

Reviewed by Adrian

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