Band: MASTABAH
Country: Poland
Title: I Hate You
Label: Self-released
Year: 2014
Style: Death Metal

Review:
Mastabah are back with their second album 4 years after the release of their debut, and 10 years after the band's foundation; nice way to celebrate a decade. I just read my review of their debut album and it seems I was pretty disgusted by the synthetic sound of the drums back then, and that ruined it all for me. Not sure if or how my taste developed in the meantime, but although their drum parts sound synthetic again, they actually seem to fit better in the whole context and I have enjoyed an already fourth audition of this new album. Mastabah are damn brutal, exceptionally technical and accurate about their compositions, and even catchy I might add. I Hate You oozes of brutality and aggression but not in a nonsense way, everything is cleverly calculated and inserted, and to tell you the truth I'm not feeling bored at all after the fourth audition, it's like I discover new things every time I listen to it and that makes it for me a good release. The few, delicate touches of melody here and there and the occasional groovy riffs add more flavour to a sick album made of 10 tracks. For fans of Brutal Death, Technical Death and Traditional Death, all of them will find something on their taste inhere.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10

Contact:
www.mastabah.pl

Band: MORBID FLESH
Country: Spain
Title: Embedded in the Ossuary
Label: Unholy Prophecies
Year: 2014
Style: Death Metal

Review:
Swedish Death Metal (Stockholm style) from Spain, nothing surprising especially nowadays when the retro movement is in its peak. Morbid Flesh were founded in 2002 as Undertaker, and the good thing about them is they started as Melodic Death Metal and are now playing Swedish Death Metal, still a somehow melodic Death, so they passed the test of time and proved to be honest and dedicated to the genre. The 6 tracks on this EP (totaling 24 minutes) are built on the most precise Swedish tradition a la Entombed / unleashed / Dismember, with low tuned guitars, mid-tempo rhythms supported by frantic (organic) drums, ruthless growls on a somehow compreensive tone, catchy structures and excellent guitar leads and solos. If they'll add more of those good guitar leads and especially solos they'll reach a much higher statute in the scene. Anyway, a very enjoyable EP complete with perfect production. Recommended!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10

Contact:
www.facebook.com/MorbidFlesh
www.unholyprophecies.com

Band: MUR
Country: France
Title: Mur
Label: Doweet Records
Year: 2014
Style: Industrial Hardcore Metal

Review:
Not the kind of music I'm used to, but since I received the CD I have to write some words on it. This is probably Mur's debut release, an EP made of 5 tracks, self-released but officially distributed by Doweet Records. Mur's music is quite catchy but at the same time quite aggressive and even dark I'd say, some parts of this EP sounding almost apocalyptic, so judging by that fans of Metal, Hardcore and Industrial will find something on their own taste to enjoy. It sounds pretty modern but at the same time keeping old-school patterns intact, good release, good band.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10

Contact:
www.mur-band.bandcamp.com
www.doweet-records.com

Band: NEAR DEATH CONDITION
Country: Switzerland
Title: Evolving Towards Extinction
Label: Unique Leader Records
Year: 2014
Style: Brutal Death Metal

Review:
haven't heard of this band before, although this is their third full-length album, and the second one on Unique Leader, but since U.L. aren't known for a good promotion (at least in Europe), I'm not surprised at all. The Swiss quartet are as tight as such a band can be, their music on this new album is mature and curdled to the max, I have no idea what else they could have added more in order to make it more appealing to fanatics of this genre (Brutal Death Metal that is), so that makes it a perfect album in my opinion. Of course followers of this genre will possibly find small faults here and there, but for me the 11 tracks are top notch, an excellent combination of traditional ('90's) Brutal Death Metal with more modern Death Metal, mid-tempo to fast paced rhythmed, built on complex structures, heavy walls of sound leaving no empty spaces at all, and the cherry on top of this cake are the atmospheric guitar solos and the excellent (although rare) keyboard backgrounds. An excellent band, the second one from Switzerland that blows me away this month!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 10/10

Contact:
www.neardeathcondition.ch

Band: NEROCAPRA
Country: Italy
Title: Mefisto
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2013
Style: Death Metal

Review:
This is a trio founded back in 2003, but if you'll hear their music you'll bet they are straight from the '80s. I guess this 3 tracks promo is a warm-up for their next album, their second to date. So here we have 3 tracks of fast paced old-school Death Metal, the ugly, uncompromising and bestial way with no melodies, no additional instruments or effects to enhance the atmosphere, only pure and simple abrasive Death Metal with Black / Thrash attitude. It sounds like recorded in their rehearsal place, but you won't have any problem following any instrument. Recommended only for the ones of you into old-school, raw, unpolished Death Metal.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7/10

Contact:
www.facebook.com/nero.capra

Band: NOX INTERITUS
Country: Italy
Title: Embrace of No Return
Label: Dark East Productions
Year: 2013
Style: Black Metal

Review:
As stupid as this may have sounded a decade or so ago, nowadays it's quite refreshing to stumble upon a full line-up Black Metal band among all these one-man bands, not that I'd have something against the later, but it's always better when youcan have the option of seeing the band live, too, and also when it comes to composition, I think brainstorming between multiple individuals is almost always better than the fruits of one man's ideas. Nox Interitus are presenting here their debut album, a 10 tracks effort lasting for almost 45 minutes of traditional, semi-technical and fast paced Black Metal, aggressive and hateful but at the same time well balanced and well structured. The sound, although organic, could have been better, but that doesn't mean you'll have any problems following the music on this album. The music is pretty straight-forward offering little space to surprises, but I can highlight the courage of the guitarist to try new territories, the ferocity of the rhythm section and the impressive Black Metal shrieks, so all in all I have enjoyed this album, and would put Nox Interitus on my "to keep an eye on" list.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10

Contact:
www.reverbnation.com/noxinteritusofficial
www.darkeastproductions.weebly.com

Band: ORBSEVEN
Country: USA
Title: .ismos.
Label: Self-released
Year: 2014
Style: Experimental Metal

Review:
Third studio album from this one-man-band based in Texas; .ismos. is made of 7 tracks of Experimental Metal combining Death, Black and Ambient into a weird, avantgarde, sometimes aggressive - sometimes calm music. Zeven, the man behind all this has the required technical skills to blend these genres into a curdled, quite mature sounding whole with major emphasis on creating dark, haunting atmospheres. Even though he uses drum programings and I usually hate them, in this case they are not annoying at all; the Ambient parts are ok but a bit too stretched and overused. Zeven proves to be a highly inventive individual, his music is quite original and all in all .ismos. made an entertaining audition, quite challenging but also surprisingly nice flowing while blending traditional and modern patterns. Recommended if you're looking for something different, something quite unique.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10

Contact:
www.facebook.com/orbsevenmusic

Band: SCARECROW N.W.A.
Country: Austria
Title: Transgression
Label: Noisehead Records
Year: 2013
Style: Melodic Death Metal

Review:
This band is around since 1995, so soon they'll celebrate 2 decades of activity, pretty impressive, sin't it? Transgression is their 5th full-length album to date, an 8 tracks effort totaling a bit more than 50 minutes of quite melodic and at the same time experimental type of Death Metal with good production, very good and interesting guitars but unfortunately a very abrasive, almost annoying vocal whose growls feel very forced, like the guy tries everything to sound brutal but only manages to produce burps instead of real growls; his episodic clean vocals are way, way better, he should try them more and leave the growling to someone else. As I said the guitar work is really good, producing a wide range of delightful riffs and leads, and even the solos, although nothing exceptional, are enjoyable. The drums sound too synthetic at times, and the tracks are a bit too long, but except for that Transgression is a decent new album, fans of Melodic Death might enjoy it, but there's need of improvement; if only all of them would be at the same level as the guitarists...
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6.5/10

Contact:
www.scarecrow.at
www.noiseheadrecords.com

Band: SOVVERSIVO
Country: Italy
Title: Falling Deep
Label: Noisehead Records
Year: 2013
Style: Heavy Metal

Review:
The Italian quartet was founded back in 1998 and so far they only changed drummer a few times, the other members are the original ones, and that's not so common nowadays. The band shows to be a mature act with well crafted music and clear ideas, they are blending Hard Rock and Heavy Metal in a melodic, catchy and quite fresh whole, with a hint of Progressive too. The final result for this second album is top class although not as heavy as I like my Metal. The album is made of 10 tracks and totalizes 42 minutes of playing time, not too little, not too much, the perfect time to enjoy it and don't get bored. I was surprised by the good English pronounciation of the singer (usually Italian singers playing in English are awful with pronounciation), the good blend of traditional and modern sonorities, and the occasional dark guitar leads. Good album, not outstanding but good, worth giving it a chance.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10

Contact:
www.sovversivo.com
www.noiseheadrecords.com

Band: STROSZEK
Country: Italy
Title: Wild Years of Remorse and Failures
Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records
Year: 2013
Style: Acoustic / Alternative Gothic Metal

Review:
Well, Gothic Metal is a bit too much of a label for Stroszek's music, but parts of it are hinting towards a really melodic Gothic Metal with Alternative and even Country influences. This is a huge release, a double CD release featuring 2 albums, both played on the same direction, using mostly guitars and vocals, with episodic insertions of drums and bass. Stroszek is the one-man project of Claudio Alcara from Frostmoon Eclipse, but this is not linked to Black Metal at all, actually to me it reminds of the softer parts from Lake of Tears' "Headstones". I find the tracks to be a bit stretched beyond need and the vocals good but quite limited in potential, but all in all the 2 CDs are offering an excellent atmosphere, the perfect production helping a lot in this sense. If you're into Melodic Metal with loads of Acoustic passages you should definitely try Stroszek, a very delicate, expressive, emotional and deep music that probably offers a good understanding on Claudio's feelings while creating it.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10

Contact:
www.facebook.com/stroszekofficial
www.hypnoticdirgerecords.com

Band: THE MILTON INCIDENT
Country: France
Title: Inocence Lost
Label: Dooweet Records
Year: 2014
Style: Alternative Metal

Review:
I've started reviewing this material already 3 or 4 times, but since it's absolutely not my cup of tea (meaning I'm not a specialist in this type of music, although I have nothing against it and I enjoy it occasionally) I got stuck in writing nothing... This is some sort of Alternative Metal with quite a few influences from other genres to come to a result that's both melodic, groovy, hardcorish, and even progressive to a certain degree. Not bad at all, with highlights on the vocals' versatility and excellent tone and execution, and on the complex instrumental part. I don't like that much the guitar tone, but except for that the band has everything to break through the mainstream. Time will tell if they'll manage to become an important name, the potential is definitely there.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10

Contact:
www.themiltonincident.com
www.dooweet-records.com

Band: THY LEGION
Country: Malta
Title: Proclaimer of Chaos
Label: Self-released
Year: 2007
Style: Black Death Metal

Review:
Got 2 CDs from this Malta based band and although both are old, this one is the older, dating back in 2007, and it's their debut, an 8 tracks effort totaling around 35 minutes of Black and Death Metal. The drum programs are annoying as hell, but the music is good, quite technical and inventive with more emphasis on the Death Metal side rather than Black Metal. The sound is clear but not powerful enough to complement the instruments, the compositions should have been more curdled in order to avoid dead moments, but all in all this is not a debut to be ashamed of; the multiple layers and types of vocals are very good, and the guitar work makes it all worth it, but I'm curious how these guys progressed on the next album.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6.5/10

Contact:
www.facebook.com/thylegionmt

Band: THY LEGION
Country: Malta
Title: Venerato Diaboli
Label: Self-released
Year: 2010
Style: Black Death Metal

Review:
And here's the followup effort from Thy Legion, a new album made of only 6 tracks and totaling less than half an hour. The same synthetic drums sound made me think the band didn't go further from their debut album, but I was wrong. This new release is much more curdled (exactly what I felt Proclaimer of Chaos lacked of), more powerful and more aggressive. The guitar work is top-notch again although I'm not convinced by the effects used, the bass lines are more prominent this time, the vocals are rough and demonic, maybe even more terrifying than on their debut, and overall the atmospheres they create are better, darker, more sinister. A short but convincing second album that should have brought at least a record deal for this quintet, but unfortunately apart from a 2011 split with Prayer of the Dying, the band is silent since then. Maybe this sudden promotional strike is preparing us for an upcoming third album...
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10

Contact:
www.facebook.com/thylegionmt

Band: TOTAL ANGELS VIOLENCE
Country: Ukraine
Title: Death to Death
Label: Dark East Productions
Year: 2012
Style: Ambient Black Death Metal

Review:
Another mysterious one-man-project, this time from Ukraine, Total Angels Violence offers us here their third studio album featuring 7 tracks and totaling 40 minutes. Since it was my first encounter with this band I had no idea what to expect and after spinning this disc a couple of times I'm still not sure if I like it or hate it. It's as chaotic and brutal as a Grindcore album, as Dark and Horrifying as a Black Metal album and as thrilling and expressive as a horror movie soundtrack, really something different than I'm used to. I still hate the drum machine's synthetic sound and some really generic and boring (although technical) guitar riffs, but the overall judgement is: I'm impressed. Total Angels Violence, although sounding quite a stupid name in my opinion, actually describes what's happening on their music.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10

Contact:
www.darkeastproductions.weebly.com

Band: WALK THROUGH FIRE
Country: Sweden
Title: Hope is Misery
Label: Aesthetic Death
Year: 2014
Style: Sludge Doom Metal

Review:
The 4 tormented and tormenting Swedes from Walk Through Fire are back with their 3rd full-length album, 3 years after the previous one which wasn't an outstanding release in any way, I still remember how it failed to impress me. Not sure if now I'm in a better mood or if the band really improved that much, but this time I like the new record more, I find it catchier, or at least part of it is catchier, when they speed up the pace a bit. The slow, primitive parts (still a lot of them) are boring and although the very low tuned bass sounds like a bulldozer, they kind of fail to impress again. The guitars, on the other hand, are delivering a more complex construction and the vocals seem to be more versatile. Anyway, if you decide to give this a try be sure you'll get one of the most doomy and tormenting music you've heard lately, I like it and I can say the band is heading on a good direction.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10

Contact:
www.walkthroughfire.se
www.aestheticdeath.com

Band: WIJLEN WIJ
Country: Belgium
Title: Coronachs of the O
Label: Solitude Productions
Year: 2014
Style: Funeral Doom Metal

Review:
After reading the 2 catastrophic reviews on Metal Archives and laughing my ass of after reading this statement "You know you suck when you fuck up Funeral Doom", I thought the two guys writing them were just messing around and it wouldn't be possible for a Solitude release to be as awful as that, but after spinning this CD for a couple of times I have to say I found it pretty disapointing as well, not catastrophic but rather disapointing. Unfortunately the Belgian trio chose to use the most common and at the moment boring / uninspired guitar riffs, drum patterns and vocals they could, the sound is below the standard Solitude Prod. quality and the compositions are trying too much to add as many influences and elements as possible in a whole that is supposed to be monotone and oppressive, and the final impression, or at least my final impression is of a band that has capable musicians but who are unable to form and sound like a group, a band with no real horizons and targets. 5 tracks, more than an hour of playing, but a disapointing release that I'm sure will be rated below acceptable by Funeral Doom maniacs.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 4.5/10

Contact:
www.wijlenwij.nulll-void.com
www.solitude-prod.com

Band: WINTERBLOOD
Country: Italy
Title: Anelli
Label: Le Crepuscule du Soir
Year: 2013
Style: Dark Ambient

Review:
I love this A5 format for releases but unfortunately they are usually released in very limited editions, and that's the case for this Winterblood CD, too, released in a limited edition of only 100 copies. Anelli (Italian term for rings) gathers all Winterblood tracks that were previously featured only on splits, so it's a collection of 6 long tracks totaling more than an hour of calm, emotional and catchy Dark Ambient. Winterblood's music is dark, melancholic but at the same time hopeful and serene, I'd say it successfully manages to drag you through a world of despair and solitude, but still showing you the end of the tunnel, the rays of sun (or moon), the hope for a better fate. I'd compare it with a less rhythmic Burzum (the Ambient works), the same kind of emotional and catchy music. Recommended!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10

Contact:
www.facebook.com/WinterbloodOfficial
www.lecrepusculedusoir.yolasite.com

Band: WOE UNTO ME
Country: Belarus
Title: A Step into the Waters of Forgetfulness
Label: Solitude Productions
Year: 2014
Style: Funeral Gothic Doom Metal

Review:
Belarus is not particularly known for its Funeral Doom Metal exports, but here's a young band that seems to have the necessary possibilities to change that, a band whose debut album, the one I'm reviewing now, constitutes an impressive statement through both its look (thick 16 pages booklet complete with awesome artworks, a different one for each track, and golden-like disc) and it's music. The album is made of only 5 tracks but the total duration is 55 minutes, so we're in perfect tone with this genre's patterns. The music is mostly more complex and more up-tempo than your regular Funeral Doom band, that's why I sensed a high dose of Gothic Doom influences, but the overall result is interesting, catchy and recommended not only to a narrow slice of Funeral Doom followers. Melodic, melancholic, oppressive, dark but also serene, I'd say Woe Unto Me managed to deliver an excellent debut, I'd bet on them to be one of the next important names to step up on the Doom Metal scene.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10

Contact:
www.facebook.com/woeuntome
www.solitude-prod.com

Band: YOLWOLF
Country: Russia
Title: Thorns-Horns
Label: Yar' / Nihil Art / Dark East
Year: 2012
Style: Pagan Ambient Black Metal

Review:
Got this from Dark East, and at first I have to admit I was skepticalabout its potential being yet another one-man-band among the nowadays so overcrowded Black Metal one-man-band scene, but I'm glad my worries were soon shattered and Thorns-Horns proved to be a very pleasing material. We're treated with 9 tracks during almost 40 minutes of a fine mix between traditional Black Metal, Ambient and Pagan music, supported by an underground but crystal-clear production. Yarovit, the man behind the Yolwolf moniker, seems to be influenced by the Pagan Black Metal scene of the end '90's / beginning of the 2000's, and so his music is pretty epic, catchy and entertaining although bringing nothing new to the scene. If you like your Black Metal with a touch of melancholy (and enjoy the occasional keyboard-driven interludes) but at the same time fierce and powerful, I suggest you check our Yolwolf, speaking for myself this was/is a very enjoyable album I'll definitely play again.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10

Contact:
www.yar-productions.com
www.nihilart.ru
www.darkeastproductions.weebly.com