Abate Macabro - Acougueiro Brutal Black Metal
Abnormal Sickness - Lepiej Idz Nazbierac Patykow
Acrimonia - Resurrection
Aeons of Ashes - Shutdown
Among Gods - Monument
Anarkhon - Welcome to the Gore Show
Angerman - No Tears for the Devil
Beyond Light - Paintings in the Hall
Black Therapy - The Final Outcome
Breakdust - Baleful World
Cantus Bestiae - Cantus Bestiae
Dark Ravage - Fall of Inner Sanctum
Darkenhold - Castellum
De Profundis - Frequencies
Deatherapy - Look, We are Dying
Deconstructing Sequence - Access Code
Desert Near the End - Hunt for the Sun
Dimeless - White Lion
Djevelkult - I Djevelens Tegn
Dragonsfire - Metal X
Embalming Theatre - No Grind for Old Men
Eosphorus - Winds of Apep
Evil Emperor - Evil Emperor
Father Merrin - All Is Well That Ends in Hell
Final Dawn - Become Death
Fright Night - Life Eternal
Gmork - Death Spells Erotica
Gory Blister - The Fifth Fury
Helevorn - Compassion Forlorn
HI-GH - Till Death and After
Humut Tabal - The Dark Emperor ov the Shadow Realm
Latitude Egress - To Take Up the Cross
Martyrvore - Obliteration
MDK / Expurgo - Sicko Brothers Tasting and Eating Corpses
Morzhol - MMXI
Nebula VII - Dawn Of A New Era
Nerocapra - Mefisto Manna
Odium - The Science of Dying
Order to Ruin - The Path to Atrocity
Passion for Sorrow - Rotting Immortality
Porta Inferi - Out of the Difference
Pulvis et Umbra - Implosion of Pain
Purple Nail - Embrace the Dark
Repulsor - Trapped in a Nightmare
Sacro Sanctus - Deus Volt
Sarkrista / Unhuman Disease - Those Who Preach Perdition
Sorghegard - Holocaust of the Holy
Steny Lda - Beloe Bezmolvie
Sxuperion - Through Cosmic Corridors
Thaw - Earth Ground
The Ersatz - Kill The False Inside You
Torrens Conscientium - All Alone With The Thoughts
Trigger - Under Hypnosis
Twilight - ...and with the Twilight, They Return
Ulcerous Phlegm - Phlegm as a Last Consequence
Usurpress - Ordained
Without God - Circus of Freaks
Zephyra - Mental Absolution
Zombie Attack - Through the Circles of Hell
Band: ABATE MACABRO
Country: Brazil
Title: Açougueiro Brutal Black Metal
Label: Nyarlathotep Records
Year: 2014
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Brutal Black Metal it is, you've guessed it from this album's title; Abate Macabro are around since 2002 but this is only their debut album so we're not dealing with a productive band here. 9 tracks, almost 50 minutes of brutal and blasphemous Black Metal, fast, raw, devastating and highly offensive especially to religious people. The compositions are pretty generic, at least I cannot find anything that would remind me of this band after the audition, but their attitude, their hate and complete desire to annihilate everything, especially God, transpires throughout the whole album, this is a clear and definite declaration of war to everything saint. I'm impressed how well defined the bass lines are, and the guy is really a maniac, exactly like his band-mates, actually all of them are demented, and that's probably the highlight of this album: sublime and chaotic dementia, look at the cover artwork and imagine you're there - well, that's exactly how it sounds... I hate their childish face-paint, but love their honest and expressive attitude.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/abatemacabro
www.nyarlathoteprecords.yolasite.com
Band: ABNORMAL SICKNESS
Country: Poland
Title: Lepiej Idz Nazbierac Patyków
Label: Self-released
Year: 2014
Style: Death Grind
Review:
I'm not a fan of these joke Grindcore bands, but I was surprised to see Abnormal Sickness is actually a full line-up band, not a dorm one-man-band and they are actually heavily influenced by old-school Death Grind although adding the nowadays everpresent pig-squeals and fun themes. 12 tracks totaling not more than 25 minutes making this their debut album released in limited print-run of 200 copies on digipack with one of the least appealing cover artworks I've ever seen, you could easily mistake it with a low level Electro music cover from the '80's, so far, far away from the traditional Death Grind imagery. But as I already said, the music is way more traditional than the cover artwork or the sily band look, some of the guitar riffs are really catchy, but most of them, and the drums also, except for the times where they are grinding fast, are quite boring, and although the vocal part is versatile and offer the band's source of brutality, I think an old-schooler won't find this release brutal enough and a fan of the new scene will find it too traditional and not fun enough. Try it yourselves if you're into Death Grind or plain Grindcore.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6.5/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/AbnormalSickness
Band: ACRIMONIA
Country: Poland
Title: Resurrection
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2014
Style: Jazz Thrash Death Metal
Review:
Yes, you read it well, Acrimonia is a Polish band playing a mix of Thrash, Death, Progressive and Jazz music! I remember in the '90's there were still lots of bands trying such mind-puzzling combinations, but I haven't heard something similar recently. Acrimonia's new EP (that means Extended Play not Extra Play as they mentioned on the cover) features 6 highly interesting compositions highlighted by a sound a la '80's, a weak production (these tracks would have deserved more) but good enough to enjoy whatever happens here, a constant desire to break the barriers and come up with something new and unusual and at the same time traditional and engaging. At times they sound like Death, at times like a Folk Rock band, and sometimes like a '70's Prog Rock machine, I tell you, these compositions are amazing and I can confirm that after more than 10 spins of this CD (and this rarely happens)! The violin is a excellent addition and also an excellent catalyst of their ideas. The only fault, actually there are 2: the weak, unpolished sound way closer to '70's Rock than to Metal, and a few parts on their tracks when you feel something's missing, they could have added something extra to fill all the empty spaces. But in the end I think Acrimonia is an amazing band, no doubt!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/AcrimoniAmetal
Band: AEONS OF ASHES
Country: Austria
Title: Shutdown
Label: NoiseHead Records
Year: 2014
Style: Modern Melodic Death Metal
Review:
Debut album from this band founded recently from the ashes of a few more or less known names of the Austrian Death Metal scene, Desiccated, Thrashcanned and Epsilon, album released only a year after their foundation. Although it's a debut album you soon understand you're dealing with good musicians with a certain experience underbelt, but since we have been overwhelmed by the amount of bands playing this style, a Melodic and Modern Death Metal highly influenced by Dark Tranquility, In Flames or the Finnish Modern Death Metal scene, I'm afraid that's not enough to impress nowadays. And indeed you won't find much to complain about inhere, it's just that the genre became overcrowded a bit too soon and I think it didn't manage to build a stable horde of followers. Aeons of Ashes' music ranges from Melodic Death Metal a la above mentioned bands to groovy and technical Modern Death Metal with Deathcore influences and everything seems to be well thought so that it doesn't bore the listener. Not sure where this will lead the band further, but I appreciate their professionalism and their dedication shown on this debut, recommended to those into Modern Metal.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/AeonsOfAshes
www.noiseheadrecords.com
Band: AMONG GODS
Country: Norway
Title: Monument
Label: PRC Music
Year: 2014
Style: Death Metal
Review:
My first meeting with Among Gods' music and I'm impressed even from the first track. The production is very weird, it's raw and organic to the core, but at the same time crystal clear, it's the first thing that impressed me. Then the mixing, having the drums and vocal in front of guitars and bass reminds me of a few Doom Death releases from the '90's, and the hoarse (but not to a growling point) vocals lead to that direction, too, and I have to admit I like this a lot, I like how strange and at the same time friendly (to an Extreme Metallers I mean) it is and I'm sure a lot of Doom Death fans will love it, too. Then there are a few guitar leads that sound more like Technical Thrash Death than anything else, groovy yet aggressive drums, and if I add that fact that the whole material feels like wrapped in a somehow dark space atmosphere, I think you'll have a good picture about it, a mix of elements that at first sound unprofessional (I thought I was about to listen to a rehearsal recording) but then open their full potential in front of your eyes (ears). It's mostly slow to mid-tempo rhythmed, so if you're into fast Death metal be sure to avoid it.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/amonggods
www.prcmusic.com
Band: ANARKHON
Country: Brazil
Title: Welcome to the Gore Show
Label: Rotten Foetus Productions
Year: 2013
Style: Death Metal
Review:
I've seen this band's name in multiple circumstances, so it was about time for me to check out one of their releases. This is their third full-length album, a collection of 10 tracks clocking only a bit more than 30 minutes. Traditional splatter / gore infused Death Metal is the name of the game here, a slow-paced to mid-tempo Death Metal creating good horrifying atmospheres, without many other influences like it's done Today, so keeping it simple and old-school. The band likes to add repetitive and catchy choruses in their tracks and this might be in their advantage since the instrumentists are good but they are not separating themselves or their music from the crowd with nothing. It's well executed and catchy to a point Death Metal for fans of the '90's US scene, with probably Morbid Angel as the main influence.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10
Contact:
www.anarkhon.com
www.rottenfoetus.com.br
Band: ANGERMAN
Country: Norway
Title: No Tears for the Devil
Label: WormHoleDeath Records
Year: 2014
Style: Grunge Metal
Review:
Grunge Rock Metal is what this Norge band calls its music, and I agree with this statement, their music is a mix of sonorities a la Alice In Chains (their main influence), Machine Head, Static X, Mudvayne, Devildriver and such, and I'd say Angerman is of similar quality even if they have just begun their musical career and this is just their debut album. The 11 tracks featured here are more close to the Metal scene than the Grunge one, but the mix between the two worlds might be the right key to bring this band their own (appreciated) place on the scene. All tracks are successfully blending melody, groove, power and energy, and what's excellent is the fact that each one of them has its own identity but at the end, overall speaking the band's music is well curdled. Finally an album I think both type of fans (Grunge and Metal) will enjoy equally; although it's not something we usually feature here, I'm impressed.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10
Contact:
www.angerman-theband.com
www.wormholedeath.com
Band: BEYOND LIGHT
Country: Holland
Title: Paintings in the Hall
Label: Maa Productions
Year: 2014
Style: Depressive Black Metal
Review:
Already 4 years passed since Beyond Light debuted on Sun & Moon Records, and here's Belfalas (the man behind this project) returning with a followup opus on Japanese Maa Productions. The album features 11 tracks, lasts for a bit more than an hour, and was released as CD format with 8 pages booklet featuring the lyrics. The lyrics in this case are quite important since this album is based on a concept story about an old blind man painting his memories and bringing them to life; an interesting, sad story that suits the music. Beyond Light continues to travel Depressive Black Metal paths its music being highlighted by slow to mid-tempo rhythms, acoustic interludes, and whispered or Burzum-like (full of effects) distant screams. Belfalas is also influenced by Doom Metal this time and his good technical skills on guitar/bass allow him to offer some pretty catchy soundscapes, but all in all I think its music needs something more to stand out and/or to keep the listener's attention high all the time.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10
Contact:
www.beyond-light.org
www.maaprod.org
Band: BLACK THERAPY
Country: Italy
Title: The Final Outcome
Label: Revalve Records
Year: 2014
Style: Melodic Death Metal
Review:
Perfect timing for an EP by Black Therapy, a year after the release of their debut album, these guys want to keep things fresh and keep the eyes on them. Two new tracks, a semi-acoustic, instrumental outro and a cover version of Gary Jules' Mad World (no I had no idea who sang the original, had to google it, of course), 15 minutes of Melodic and Technical Death Metal the Gothemburg type with twin Heavy Power Metal influenced guitar riffs, melodic guitar leads, hoarse screams, catchy structures and fast rhythms. Not sure if this style still has its loyal followers but the band is good and this EP is a nice taste of things to come. The cover version is very enjoyable but my fave part of this CD was the instrumental track that reminded me of the instrumentals of '90's Doom Death (and not only) bands I grew up with. Such an intermezzo is like a breath a fresh air placed somewhere in the middle of a recording, but as they listed it as last track it only gives the impression of an outro (although 4 minutes long...).
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
www.blacktherapy.it
www.revalverecords.com
Band: BREAKDUST
Country: France
Title: Baleful World
Label: Finisterian Dead End
Year: 2013
Style: Thrash Death Metal
Review:
Fouinded in 1997, Beakdust released their debut album a decade later, and this followup second album in 2013 so we're dealing here with a band that likes to take its time before offering their fans new material, and although this might lead your thoughts to a less serious act, Breakdust prove the opposite with this album and also with their recent Hellfest 2015 participation announcement. Baleful World offers us 12 tracks in an hour of Thrash Metal with lots of Death Metal elements too, heavily influences, as the band says, by legends like Metallica, Sepultura, Pantera or Loudblast, and I would throw in some Evile or The Haunted for that modern touch they manage to display; heavy and oppressive guitar riffs, melodic leads and solos, impressive rhythm section, and manly, rough vocals delivering brutal but at the same time quite friendly music that will certainly make a good impression on Hellfest. If you think a combination of Metallica, Loudblast, Evile and Testament with hints of the other above mentioned bands would make your day don't hesitate, Breakdust deliver just that and they do it with style. Impressive album.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/breakdustbx
www.finisteriandeadend.com
Band: CANTUS BESTIAE
Country: France
Title: Cantus Bestiae
Label: Projekt'Ill Productions
Year: 2013
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Not sure when this band called it quits or how known or appreciated were they in the French underground during their career, but here's Project'Ill releasing a compilation of previous released tracks: their debut demo from '99, tracks from 2 previousely released splits, plus 6 previousely unreleased tracks from a split with Deathspell Omega that never happened, in total 18 tracks in more than an hour of Cantus Bestiae. The demo presents us 5 tracks (+ intro and outro) of primitive and bestial Black Metal with raw, rehearsal-like sound; extremely aggressive and brutal but not enough to make the band stand out. Next are 3 tracks from a split with Puritas Virginum, with the same raw sound quality, same brutality, but again nothing to stand out. Track 11 is from their split with Christicidem but it has an even worse sound quality, it's pure rehearsal madness, so fans of Bestial Black Metal might enjoy it, but I can't listen to it twice, sorry. And the last part of this compilation is made of unreleased and unnamed tracks suffering from the same awful recording quality as the rest. As a conclusion Cantus Bestiae might have had a better impact if at least some of the tracks would have been recorded in a studio, they seem brutal and dedicated enough to impress the nowadays fans of Bestial Black Metal and Black Thrash Metal. Sometimes they remind me of Hirilorn, some of their riffs I find pretty appealing, but this is definitely not the type of recording I'd present my band with, well probably in the '80's when the conditions were primitive, but not in the 2000's...
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10
Contact:
www.projektill.fr
Band: DARK RAVAGE
Country: Lithuania
Title: Fall of Inner Sanctum
Label: Forgotten Path Records
Year: 2013
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Lead by GarLoq, also member in a few other bands among which Inquisitor who also released their latest album on Forgotten Path, Dark Ravage from Vilnius offer us here their second opus made of 8 tracks and clocking 50 minutes of traditional Black Metal with a hint of Pagan Folk touch but not enough to change its course. This is cold, mysterious, fierce Black Metal defined by semi-technical compositions, intense and complex bass lines, fast drumming, and razor-sharp, piercing Black Metal screams on high volume (even higher than the instruments). Although we couldn't expect anything new from a traditional Black Metal band, they are capturing the listener's interest through a clean and honest production, I don't want to praise them for nothing but the production on this album is really good, approaces the music to the listener, don't know how else to explain it. All in all a good release, I can see why Odium from Forgotten Path decided to sign them.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/darkravage
www.forgotten-path.lt
Band: DARKENHOLD
Country: France
Title: Castellum
Label: Those Opposed Records
Year: 2014
Style: Medieval Black Metal
Review:
I was recently asking myself where did this genre disappear all of a sudden after a '90's period when it was all over the place, even major bands were influenced by Medieval themes, and Darkenhold is the living proof that it still exists and has some proud and determined followers. Medieval Black Metal means, at least in Darkenhold's music, mostly mid-paced rhythms, subtle but very important atmospheric keyboards built on medieval themes, fierce and excellent sounding Black Metal shrieks supported by occasional epic choirs, a few accoustic parts here and there and lots of catchy, memorable elements, so definitely not a boring music. This album features 10 tracks and clocks a bit more than 40 minutes of Medieval Black Metal, it sounds excellent for a nostalgic like I am, but I don't know if the new generation still appreciates this.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10
Contact:
www.darkenhold.bandcamp.com
www.thoseopposedrecords.com
Band: DE PROFUNDIS
Country: UK
Title: Frequencies
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2014
Style: Progressive Extreme Metal
Review:
Good to see this London based quintet keeping it fresh with a new release every 2 years, and this time even if it's only an EP, Frequencies comes out when it should to show the band is still alive. 3 original compositions and a cover of Death's masterpiece "Crystal Mountain" will offer you a good 20 minutes of technical and progressive Extreme Metal with plenty of melodies occasional and subtle keyboard touches. The highlight is on their amazing technical skills and how they manage to display them while keeping the track curdled; the guitars, the bass lines, the drums, all are amazing and offering a real lesson in Progressive Extreme Metal, the whole sounds highly professional and classy, but unfortunately the vocalist is not up to par with the rest of these guys, he shows his lack of versatility especially on the Death cover, while I think such an experimental band would need at least a similar vocalist... Anyway, De Profundis are showing why Kolony Records keep them around as an important piece of their roster, probably a new album is in works and should see the light of the day next year, at least that's my guess...
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
www.deprofundistheband.com
Band: DEATHERAPY
Country: Italy
Title: Look, We are Dying
Label: Revalve Records
Year: 2014
Style: Melodic Deathcore Death Metal
Review:
Here's a young band from Trieste offering us their debut EP, a collage of 6 tracks totaling a bit over 20 minutes. It's a pretty weird combination of Deathcore and Melodic Death Metal, more mid-tempo rhythmed as one might think when hearing this combination, and with more emphasis on the technical side of their compositions that on developing the fastest and most brutal music around; yes, an interesting approach. Also what I like about them is their mix of new ideas with old patterns, but I don't know if this is what they wanted or if it just happened by mistake, the result is that even if I'm usually not a big fan of Deathcore, I could also find elements on my taste on this EP, but I think Deathcore fans won't appreciate it because it's not as fast as it should or because it doesn't have as many breakdowns as it should (I only head a few attempts, but no real breakdown). Anyway, as a debut EP I find it pretty well curdled and presented quite professionally, so here we have the premises to grow, probably they need more hooks, more catchyness on the next release though.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/DEATHERAPY
www.revalverecords.com
Band: DECONSTRUCTING SEQUENCE
Country: UK
Title: Access Code
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2014
Style: Progressive Death Metal
Review:
This young act from UK that impressed me so much with their debut EP from 2013 is back with yet another EP, this time with only 2 track featured but with a fair 16 minutes of playing time. Although self-released again, it's clear to me these guys are in for good as they are professional to the bone, even hiring the talented Costing Chioreanu to direct a lyrics video for one of their tracks, and now releasing this new EP on professional CD with 3 folds booklet featuring the lyrics, too. But the best proof for professional behaviour is definitely their music, Deconstructing Sequence are definitely not afraid to let their imagination free at first sight (read audition) chaotic and without any real plan, but unveiling itself to the listener after a few spins. I'm most impressed this time by the excellent drummer, he's all over the place on this release and still manages to keep the whole curdled and on track, but that doesn't mean that the others in the band are less capable, both guitar and vocal parts are complex and expressive blending deep melodies with sci-fi atmospheres, aggressive Death Metal parts with space ambient ones. One of my favorite young Progressive Metal bands, I have no doubt they'll do well in 2015, too, when we expect their debut album to be released.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/deconstructingsequence
Band: DESERT NEAR THE END
Country: Greece
Title: Hunt for the Sun
Label: Total Metal Records
Year: 2014
Style: Power Thrash Metal
Review:
It seems this band was founded back in 1997 under a different name and they are playing as Desert Near the End only since 2010, and yet under this moniker they managed to release 2 full-length albums already. This one, the second, is made of 8 tracks and clocks almost 50 minutes of Thrash Metal with massive Power Metal influences but still keeping the aggression and patterns of traditional Thrash Metal. Although I like traditional Thrash a lot, I think these guys went too traditional I mean the guuitar riffs are following lines that were used over and over and over again in this genre and although delivered skillfully they still cannot impress the listener, well at least a listener that wants something with an original flavor at least. The vocals are good but not impressive either in a genre that usually pushes ahead some crazy frontmen. The rhythm section is ok, without much to stand out except for maybe a sideslip on Death Metal territory on a track, and that was unexpected and fresh at the same time. All in all this is a good band but for me their music didn't do anything, so try it yourselves you might like it.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7/10
Contact:
www.reverbnation.com/desertneartheend
www.metalscraprecords.com
Band: DIMELESS
Country: Germany
Title: White Lion
Label: NoiseHead Records
Year: 2014
Style: Groove Thrash Metal
Review:
"Never judge a book by its cover" and yet I did it again, honestly this band's name, the album title and especially the simple cover artwork didn't inspire much in my head before giving this second full-length album of theirs a spin, but once I did I was hooked. Well, maybe starting with the second track only as on the first one Victor, the vocalist, mostly screams like a madman and sounds maybe a bit too excited, but starting with the second track he lets out that gorgeous voice reminding me of the Southern Groove Metal tree of bands that resulted from Pantera: Dawn, Damageplan or Superjoint Ritual, maybe a bit of Black Label Society, too. So yes, American type Groove Thrash Metal with excellent execution, excellent compositions and easily memorable, too, Dimeless should get much more attention and once with this deal with NoiseHead hopefully they'll get it (the attention). 11 tracks, almost an hour of Metal that can be tasted by both newcomers and old-school metalheads, one of those bands that could manage to reconcile fans of lots of different Metal subgenres. Good stuff!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
www.dimeless.de
www.noiseheadrecords.com
Band: DJEVELKULT
Country: Norway
Title: I Djevelens Tegn
Label: Morbid Shrine Productions
Year: 2014
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Djevelkult were formed back in 2009 but this is only their debut full-length album, released 3 years after their debut and only demo, and that could mean they've been working hard on these 8 tracks (clocking a total of 42 minutes). The music they offer here is a traditional Black Metal inspired by the second wave of Norwegian Black Metal and especially, in my opinion, by Mayhem, Immortal and early Isvind, but with less variations on vocals and drums. The guitars, both of them, are the best thing on this album, the bass lines are incisive and support the guitar well, but the drums are quite dull and even boring at times (although they have parts where the drummer show his real potential, too), and the worst element are the vocals, cold and abrasive at the beginning, they have no versatility whatsoever and quickly become annoying to a point where they single-handedly could ruin the whole experience for most of the listeners. Dodsherre Xarim, the guy in charge of the vocals, and the founding member of this band, is also playing guitar, so I think he would do better to find a good vocalist or at least a second vocalist and concentrate on his guitar playing, he's doing it so well even now.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6.5/10
Contact:
www.djevelkult.net
www.morbidshrineproductions.com
Band: DRAGONSFIRE
Country: Germany
Title: Metal X
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2014
Style: Heavy Metal
Review:
With 2 full-length albums under belt and 2 followup EPs, Dragonsfire is not a new name for the scene anymore, but I have to admit for me this is the first meeting with the band's music, and after a few auditions I'd say I'm glad I've met it. Dragonsfire are, as the band name suggests a pure Traditional Heavy Metal band in vein of Accept, Grave Digger, Running Wild or Hammerfall, and although their music is clearly based on overused patterns they manage to keep things interesting and quite fresh sounding. Featuring 6 tracks and clocking almost 25 minutes of Heavy Metal, Metal X is an entertaining release with the first, "Young & Wild" (fast and proud Epic Heavy Metal), and the last track, Hell (Melodic Heavy Metal), being the highlights and the tracks with more potential to possibly become hits, and the rest being also good tracks but with less personality and less attraction to the listener. For me, being overwhelmed by Black and Death releases, this is like a breath of fresh air, but I'd be curious to get the opinion of a die-hard Heavy Metal fan who only listens to this typ of music. As a conclusion I'd say Dragonsfire definitely have the potential to become a well-known name in the scene.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/dragonsfiremetal
Band: EMBALMING THEATRE
Country: Switzerland
Title: No Grind for Old Men
Label: Power It Up Records
Year: 2014
Style: Death Grind
Review:
Celebrating 15 years of activity here's No Grind for Old Men, a 19 minutes long release which on normal standards should be considered an EP, but I guess the band considers it a full-length especially since it features 15 tracks. Embalming Theatre are quite a well known name, especially in the Grindcore scene, their trademark being that all their topics are based on true (mostly gory) events wrapping their music in a credible and sinister atmosphere. Even though I hate their type of joke live appearance (Obscene Extreme-like, all fun, party everywhere) their music is one of the most solid and disgusting Grind with Gore and Death influences I've heard lately; the guitar riffs are fat and chunky, drums are energetic swinging between Death and Punk rhythms, and the vocals are suffocating growls supported at times by ultra-low-tuned beastly sounds; all good, all horrifying and expressive reminding me of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre atmosphere, so if you're a fan of that or similar movies and Death, Gore and/or Grind, you should definitely check out the new Embalming Theatre CD.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
www.embalmingtheatre.ch
www.power-it-up.de
Band: EOSPHORUS
Country: Sweden
Title: Winds of Apep
Label: WormHoleDeath
Year: 2014
Style: Melodic Black Metal
Review:
4 years after their self-released debut album here's Eosphorus following up with a new full-length album, this time released by a professional label, a bit of a surprise for me personally since I know WHD wasn't going to sign Black Metal bands... Oh well, here we have 11 tracks, almost 70 minutes of melodic and semi-technical Black Metal lead by the good vocals of Oliver Spetze, vicious and blasphemic but at the same time perfectly comprehensive. The guitars are also delivering a hell lot of interesting riffs and leads, the bass lines are perfectly differentiated, even underlined at times, and the drums part are also spot on, so all in all there's nothing to argue about here. What's quite intriguing is the fat, heavy production sound, not really typical of Black Metal, but it backs up the music perfectly, a good combination. The more I listen to it, the more I like it, so I'd recommend it to you too if you're into the second wave of '90's Scandinavian Black Metal.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/EosphorusOfficial
www.wormholedeath.com
Band: EVIL EMPEROR
Country: Brazil
Title: Evil Emperor
Label: Rotten Foetus Productions
Year: 2011
Style: Brutal Death Metal
Review:
Yes, Brutal Death Metal but the old-school way: ugly, fast, chaotic, heavy as fuck, and very, very organic sounding, That's how Evil Emperor's music on this debut album could be described. Although it's an old release it seems Rotten Foetus are still promoting it, that's why I got this promo at the end of 2014. After spinning it a couple of times I wouldn't say I was impressed by anything, I like the fact it's so organic that it becomes somehow closer to the listener, I like the excellent guitar solos inspired by the '90's Tampa Bay Death Metal, and the whole brutality it emanates, but the rest doesn't stand out at all. At times there are some Thrash Metal influences, too, so I guess they are open to improving and enriching their sound, but unfortunately they haven't released anything new since this debut.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/evilemperorband
diomarsouza@yahoo.com.br
Band: FATHER MERRIN
Country: France
Title: All Is Well That Ends in Hell
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2014
Style: Doom Metal
Review:
A bit surprised this band is not signed yet, but I'm sure this EP (the followup to their 2011 debut demo) will serve as bait for labels and the next release (hopefully their debut full-length album) will be backed up with good distribution. Father Merrin were formed in 2009 in the small commune (!!!) of Ligny-en-Barrois, France, and since 3 of them were part of a Doom Death Metal band before, they are determined to continue of the same path, maybe with more emphasis on the Doom part and less or none on the Death Metal part of it. These 4 tracks are awesome, they present us a fresh approach on Doom and open it to other types of Rock and Metal fans, too, while still keeping that old-school patina to the whole (starting with the band name and excellent album title and ending with the influences in their music). At times they remind me of Crowbar, at other times they remind me of Dutch Threnody, and at others of Cathedral, but they are certainly routing through a style of their own, I'm really impressed by the potential this band has, so I'd recommend you don't miss this EP, it might become the beginning of a beautiful friendship. :)
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/Fathermerrin.doom
Band: FINAL DAWN
Country: Finland
Title: Become Death
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2014
Style: Melodic Black eath Metal
Review:
2 years after their previous release, the "The Crown of the Dead Eyes" EP that I quite liked at the time, Final Dawn are back with a 4 tracks demo recorded as a trio with Topi and Vesa as permanent members and Juuso from Throes of Dawn helping them on drums. To me it seems the band featured more Black Metal elements on this new release, and the final result is some sort of Melodic Black Death Metal very well structured and constructed in order to deliver an interesting blend; multiple layers of vicious (yet comprehensive) and brutal vocals, well defined bass lines, catchy guitar riffs and heavy and mostly fast paced drums. It also seems they have increased the pace a bit on these new tracks although all in all it's still a mid-paced Black Death Metal with good sound, and although this new demo is not ground-breaking in any way, it's still made of 4 good, enjoyable tracks and prefaces an interesting upcoming album (hopefully).
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
www.finaldawn.fi
Band: FRIGHT NIGHT
Country: Russia
Title: Life Eternal
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2014
Style: Gothic Rock Metal
Review:
Second album from this Gothic Rock Metal band from the capital of Russia. They were formed back in 2005 but changed a lot of members until now, I don't even know how come they're still alive as a band. Life Eternal is made of 9 tracks totaling 45 minutes of strange, melancholic music lead by a good, melodic and warm female voice supported by sombre male vocals here and there, generic guitars and generic rhythm section too, so beside the female vocals there's not much to get excited here, well probably a few bass lines and piano parts, too, but I found most of this album to be uninteresting, they didn't manage to create something to stand out this time. Probably fans of this genre will have a different opinion then I do, but for my taste it lacks personality although they are not bad musicians at all, and the sound is pretty good, too. I guess it's a matter of taste, so I won't rate it.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10
Contact:
www.frightnight.ru
Band: GMORK
Country: Russia
Title: Death Spells Erotica
Label: NitroAtmosfericum Records
Year: 2013
Style: Melodic Technical Black Death Metal
Review:
This is not my first encounter with the Russian Gmork, I've actually reviewed them before a couple of times and every time they managed to surprise me with a new and even better approach. This time is no different, if previously they were playing a rather melodic and Ambient infused form of Black Metal, they are now offering a still melodic but much more technical form of Black Metal, this time with heavy Death Metal influences to a point where you can easily say they are a Black Death Metal band. What's exceptional on this second albums of theirs is their thirst for innovation, their desire to cover as many territories as possible and yet remain true to their roots (just listen to the 6th track, it has the Ambient Black roots but also throws in Progressive Metal elements...). The guitarists are great and they work well together, the drummer makes no mistakes either, the keyboard background as equally important to the whole, but I think the real highlights of Gmork are the versative vocalist (who can do even better than what's inhere, I'm sure) and especially the excellent bass lines. I have to praise the cover and booklet design, and at the same time mention the crystal clear sound quality, too. What I don't get is why the tracks were written between 2009 - 2011 and released just now, in the meantime Gmork released a lot of other materials. Anyway, again an impressive material from Gmork and I know they have already recorded their third full-length which should be released sometime soon in 2015.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/adventofgmork
www.nitroatmosfericum.ru
Band: GORY BLISTER
Country: Italy
Title: The Fifth Fury
Label: Sliptrick Records
Year: 2014
Style: Technical Death Metal
Review:
The Fifth Fury is actually the fifth full-length album from this long-lasting Italian band founded back in 1991, a real veteran of their local scene. The new album features 9 tracks into 35 minutes of playing time, a good audition of fresh sounding Technical Death Metal played with an old-school attitude, full of dedication and leaving more space to melody and atmosphere instead of only cold mathematical structures. The guitarist and the drummer seem to be the only remaining original members and that shows in their music as everything centers around their performance. The vocalist is also very capable and versatile giving the final (aggressive) touch to a very good release, and the bass lines are mostly subtle and supportive but with occasional individual outputs too. Most of the time the pace is fast to hyperfast, but that doesn't mean the album is dull, it has it's mid-tempo, atmospheric parts, too, and I also have to mention the occasional Brutal Death Metal elements thrown inthere, plus the delicious Heavy Metal guitar solos and Progressive Metal riffs they use to decorate the whole. A very entertaining release, mature and catchy, a fine coronation for Gory Blister's fifth opus. I don't like the cover artwork though, something more mature would have been a better match.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10
Contact:
www.goryblister.com
www.sliptrickrecords.com
Band: HELEVORN
Country: Spain
Title: Compassion Forlorn
Label: BadMoodMan Music
Year: 2014
Style: Gothic Doom Metal
Review:
I know Helevorn since their 2010 album, one that I remember had a good impact on me, so to tell you the truth I was eager to listen to their new material, and that's what I've been doing for the past few days, the last of 2014 and the first of 2015. I'd say Compassion Forlorn is a lot better than its predecessor, and I have no doubt this third album will finally bring the band the respect they deserve. This is a proud continuation of what once was the Gothic Doom Death scene of UK, so if you're a fan of those '90's days and their melancholic music I suggest you don't miss this album. Helevorn managed to deliver a highly melancholic and at the same time catchy and entertaining album, just think of a combination of the '90's and early '00's Paradise Lost and Anathema; melodic, very emotional, well crafted and expressive music highlighted by a versatile vocalist ranging his tone from clean and melodic to dark and growling, catchy guitar leads, an excellent rhythm section and subtle but very important keyboard lines in the background. I love this album and I consider Helevorn as one of the best in this genre at the moment.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 10/10
Contact:
www.helevorn.com
www.solitude-prod.com
Band: HI-GH
Country: Italy
Title: Till Death and After
Label: Metal on Metal Records
Year: 2014
Style: Speed Metal
Review:
Hard-working band here, these 4 old-school affictionados from Rome were formed as a band in 2012 and so far they managed to release new material every year, 2 full-length albums and the debut EP. This is their second studio album made of 12 tracks of Speed Thrash Metal a la' '80's but very well produced, I wouldn't say modern but refreshing. the cover and booklet artwork is awesome, it's nice to see a band made out of fans playing for other fans, they are proudly displaying their Heavy and Thrash Metal tshirts in all pics from the booklet. Anyway, back to the music HI-GH are a classic Speed Thrash Metal band with simple catchy guitar riffs, occasional leads and solos to spice things up, a vocalist that doesn't have a voice that stands out with anything but nonetheless he gives it all, a drummer that's like on Duracell batteries all the time, and a hard-hitting bass line you'll be able to follow easily throughout the whole material. Nothing out of the ordinary, so not a groudbreaking album for sure, but one that's played with passion and dedication, a fun release recommended for fans of the '80's headbanging masterpieces.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/HI.GH.officialpage
www.metal-on-metal.com
Band: HUMUT TABAL
Country: USA
Title: The Dark Emperor ov the Shadow Realm
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2014
Style: Black Metal
Review:
5 years after the band's foundation and 5 years after their debut album, Humut Tabal are back with the followup full-length made of 8 tracks totaling 45 minutes of fast paced, varied and interesting Black Metal. Their major influence is the second wave of Norwegian Black Metal, that's obvious, but they are also throwing in a lot of that technical, almost industrialized US style Black Metal. This is my first encounter with the band's music so the extremely synthetic sound of drums (drums are either programmed or heavily triggered to a point they sound like Brutal Tech Death Metal) almost threw me off, but then I discovered a very imaginative, almost innovative band giving it all to sound original; they still have a lot to work on, but they are definitely on the right track. If you're not easily annoyed by synthetic sounding drums I suggest you give this album a try, it's like a combination of second wave Norse Black Metal with Technical Death Metal, a bit of Thrash Metal and even some Cradle of Filth-like Gothic Black at times, a fast paced, mysterious, varied and catchy release.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/humuttabal
Band: LATITUDE EGRESS
Country: Germany
Title: To Take Up the Cross
Label: Art of Propaganda
Year: 2014
Style: Progressive Doom Metal
Review:
This one-man-band used to be named Licht erlischt... until this year, but Niklas, the guy behind it, decided to change it to Latitude Egress "partially in order to dissociate from contemporary DSBM trends". What??? You'd change your band name (that has nothing to do with DSBM anyway) just to dissociate from a trend? That's a first, I've never heard of something similar and honestly I find it quite hildish, but after all is his band, his decision, who cares? This is his first album under the new moniker and third full-length since the project started, and it's made of 7 long tracks totaling almost 50 minutes of melodic, melancholic and even mesmerizing Doom Black Metal structured mostly on slow to mid-tempo rhythms and highlighted by lots of melodic guitars and by a very versatile and interesting vocal approach, actually the vocals are the best element of this new album. The sound quality is crystal clear, the compositions are quite varied for this genre, but still have some too repetitive and boring parts at times, and the atmospheres he manage to create are rich and suggestive, similar with Bathory here and there. I'd say this is a good album that fans of '90's Doom Death and fans of more modern Doom Black will appreciate, I know I've been listening to it for a few hours already and I'm still not bored, maybe I have a few moments of attention-loss every audition, but not enough to ruin the overall experience.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/LatitudeEgress
www.art-of-propaganda.de