Agonica - Hasta el ultimo aliento
Amorphead - Psychotic
Autumnia - O'Funeralia
Awaiting Fear - Dead Inside
Burial Hordes - Devotion to Unholy Creed
Carnal Gore - Promo 2009
Cerebral Turbulency - Segregace k nule
Cospsex - Demo 1
Crehated - Anthems of HateCremaster - Pumpernikel
Cynical Bastard - Act of Aggression
Delyria - Regression in Mind
Despise & Conquer - Promo
Devast - Art of Extermination
Dying - Born from Impurity
Empire Satanicum - Hatred of Black God
Epitimia - To the Non-existing Shades...
Fallen Angels - Rise from Ashes
Fermentia - Demo
File Of Ghosts - The Gates
Folkstorm - Stemmen van het woud
Hatred Angel - I Don't Wanna Die...
Heavy Lord - The Holy Grail
Her Blackened Rose - Introspection
Hugin Munin - A Viking Funeral
Ignitor - The Spider Queen
Immanis - T.O.M.B.
Inbreeding Sick - Sodomized and Gutted
Indian Fall - Seasons in Equilibrium
Innsmouth - Live Manifesto
Ira - Dawn of World Redemption
Isthar - Chaos Death Reincarnation
Karpathia - Urheimat
Krig - Feed Me
Krig - Stop the Manipulation
Labyrintheory - In Memorium
Mose - Halfway to Nowhere
Mythology - Tepes
Necrass - Etrofacus
New Blood - Paradise Disintegrates
Noctem - Divinity
Nokturnal Misanthropy - Eterna Notte
Noromi Lucalen - A Pitiful Tribute to Satan
Obiat - Eye tree pi
Obispo Fornicado - Ha Vuelto Para Quedarse
Oculus Infernum - The Hand of Satan
Ordo Templi Orientis - Dysphory (Part One)
Parsifall - Hercules Furens
Pestilent Grave - Esoteric Blaspheme
Pyrifleyethon & Imperial Darkness - Havoc's Split Asunder
Revelations Of Rain - Revelations of Rain
Sacred Steel - Carnage Victory
Satanic Holocaust - Raw Black Metal Holocaust
Sesta Marconi - Where the Devil Dances
Straighthate - Indigenous
Svarog - Schwarz Kreuz
Svarog - Artillerie
Temple of Dagon - Book of Azathoth
Terra Australis - In the Lost Corners of the Carpathians
The Uncreation - Dreaming in R'lyeh
The Uncreation - Promo 2009
T-Mule - Rejecting
Torch Of Darkness - His Infernal Smile
Trippy Wicked - Moving on
Verhext - Disgust & Misanthropy
Vinterskugge - Dux Normanniae
White Eyes - Beast Mode
Whorehouse - Execution of Humanity
Wine From Tears - Through the Eyes of a Mad
Winterblood - Incantazione
Band: AGONICA
Country: Mexico
Title: Hasta el ultimo aliento
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2008
Style: Thrash Metal
Review:
If you check these guys' Myspace profile without knowing the band, you might think they are a young band (although they are all in their 30's), they have little or no information on the band listed. But my help here, Mr. Google, told me they were formed in 1998, so we're dealing with a band that has more than a decade of activity in their background. Well, in this decade they have only managed to release 2 demos... This one included...
Sorry to say, but this new (2008) demo has no power to succeed in the nowadays thrash metal scene. We're dealing with an '80's kind of thrash, from all points of view: sound, composition, variety, etc. The only thing that reminds you this is released in the 21st Century are the drum programs.
The music is not bad, it might even be acclaimed for the old-school thrash metal fans (especially for those who speak/understand Spanish), the demo begins with a good, fast and aggressive track, but during the 20 minutes of playing they get a lot softer, to a point that the 5th track, a ballad attempt, is so simple that it gets to have nothing to do with thrash metal, except for the screamed vocals. They still need to work a lot more on their compositions...
If you want to check it, it's downloadable for free from their Myspace profile.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: AMORPHEAD
Country: Italy
Title: Psychotic
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2009
Style: Melodic Thrash
Review:
Founded in 2007, Amorphead released their debut demo this year, a 4 tracks + intro + outro release to proove their point. Personally I think they haven't succeeded to prove anything with this release, well, maybe only that they can do better. After a couple of listenings one can only say this was recorded in a hurry, the band appears like it's not curdled enough: the vocals, although good, angry shouts are most of the time loosing tempo (it's either this or the lyrics are not polished enough to go along with the instruments), and the instruments are not convincing enough. These guys are good instrumentists but this demo gives the impression they have not rehearsed a lot together. Taken one at a time, there are some melodic, very good guitar solos, some catchy guitar riffs, the vocal is the one that gives aggressivity and power to the whole, and the rhythm section is working pretty neat, but taken as a whole it doesn not bring praises to the band. I like the cover artwork and the instrumental intros, though not enough. :) They have the potential, but they need to work harder to bring it on the table.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: AUTUMNIA
Country: Ukraine
Title: O'Funeralia
Label: Solitude Prod.
Year: 2009
Style: Funeral Doom Death
Review:
Autumnia's third album "O'Funeralia" is another release on the great Solitude Productions label and this is by far their best album to date. With the Death/Doom meets Funeral Doom genre there is always a certain amount of plagiarism that comes into play, after all the bands that indulge in the style are limited as far as what they play stylistically speaking. Not taking away anything from Autumnia because what they do, they do quite well it is just a album that if you are familier with the style you would have no doubt heard it all before. Alexander Glavniy handles all the instruments while Vladislav Shahin does all the vocal work in typical My Dying Bride fashion. The music is real slow for the most part and is interspersed with keyboards, sharp and heavy guitar and beautiful violin parts, there is also a recurring theme of romanticism that fits in well with the mournful, emotional sounds that is so typical of bands within the genre. The melodic riffing could just as well be straight out of a Mourning Beloveth album and sometimes the vocals sound just like Worship, like I said before plagiarism. This is not all a bad thing however as this is a great album with no filler, just a solid but predictable one. Songs crossover from melodic Death Doom to other passages that are on the verge of real blackened Funeral Doom, this variety is what keeps the album interesting. Opening track " In Heavens..Among The Tombs" is the strongest track on the album which is a problem as the rest of the album struggles to keep up to that standard. The thick sounding but repetitive guitar work never gets too dull however as there is some good sometimes chugging riffing and the production is real heavy but clear. The vocals may raise a little debate as they changed from deathly growls to clean and back again, however in this band I feel they should have just stuck to the growls. When the cleaner vocals are used, it seems to take away a lot of power from the emotional element of the material. The use of Violin is well done, never over used and compliments the songs beautifully. All the songs are around the 10 minute mark and sometimes they do drag on like in "By The Candles Obesquail" which could have been cut up a bit in my view. My conclusion is a mixed reaction from me with this the third album for these Ukrainians but if you are fan of the genre you will find plenty to like about "O'Funeralia".
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: AWAITING FEAR
Country: Serbia
Title: Dead Inside
Label: Noisehead Records
Year: 2009
Style: Death Metal
Review:
Awaiting Fear were formed in 2007 and since then they have managed to release a demo (re-released later as an EP) and a split CD. Noisehead noticed this band and signed, so the result is this debut album, a 9 tracks release lasting for half an hour of pure and very good executed old-school Death Metal.
The band is based on some very sharp and catchy guitar riffs, very good guitar solos (I would have liked a bit more of them) and a Swiss-clock precise rhythm section filled with groove, and above that the band has as main vocalist a girl whos voice is absolutely impressive, very aggressive, steady and well controlled, I would say she's the feminine version of John Tardy so you'll get it. The bassist supports her with screamed and sometines even grind gurgling vox, and although the combination is a winning one, I don't like that much the screaming part.
The album is composed of 9 tracks, around 30 minutes of playing, and represents a very promising debut for Awaiting Fear, you'll be catched by their potential and creativity, and although this brings nothing new to the scene, it's an exquisite taste of fast, aggressive and technical by-the-book Old School Death Metal strongly recommended to fans of Deicide, Cannibal Corpse or Obituary.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: BURIAL HORDES
Country: Greece
Title: Devotion to Unholy Creed
Label: Pulverised / Zyklon-B / Atolinga
Year: 2008
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Formed in 2001, the Greek Burial Hordes is a pretty active band when it comes to discographic activity. Before releasing this album they have already released 4 demos, 1 split with Eschaton and a full-length in 2006.
After listening to this album I could say Burial Hordes is the perfect Underground Black Metal warrior, one of the bands that 90% of Black Metal followers say they search for, a Trv Black Metal act: fast, extremely aggressive music, dirty, blasphemous atmosphere, no compromises, complex and catchy compositions, a delight, really. 8 tracks lasting for almost 40 minutes, an album I would recommend to any Black Metal fan out there, it's catchy, has a very good sound, and everything seems to be in its place here. Very good band, very good album, the underground should be proud of still producing such acts.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: CARNAL GORE
Country: Italy
Title: Promo 2009
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2009
Style: Thrash Death Metal
Review:
I've placed this CD in my player and started looking for some band info on the net while my player was preparing to meet Carnal Gore's music. Then...fuck, I wasn't prepared for such a powerful start, I was expecting some sort of intro or something, but no, a full-on kick-ass intense Death Metal guitar riff started molesting my speakers. I've got this reaction a few weeks back with another Italian band, too, so don't know where I was thinking to expect an intro. Well, once I got used to it I got back to my research.
Carnal Gore was founded back in 2005 and released one more demo besides this one, in 2007. I've found a lot of mentionings that their style would be Industrial Thrash Death Metal, don't let yourselves be foold by that, finding Industrial inhere is like finding water in the desert. These 3 tracks are powerful Brutal Death (begining of the '90's era) with lots of groove and some influences from the most aggressive form of Thrash Metal. The very good growling vox, deep and sick but at the same time comprehensive enough, are seconded sometimes by Black Metal screams which I don't like, I think Rob should concentrate on his growls which are top-notch. Then the guitar riffs are exquisite, very catchy and memorable (the second track is more on the Swedish Death side), supported by a powerful rhythm section. This would have been a great demo if the mastering would have been done better, I mean most of the time you feel like something's missing, you keep following the guitar or the vocals instead of following the whole band. The sound is crystal-clear, but a bit more volume on drums won't hurt.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: CEREBRAL TURBULENCY
Country: Czech Republic
Title: Segregace k nule
Label: Khaaranus Prod.
Year: 2008
Style: Grindcore
Review:
After 15 years of existence this great Czech grindcore band decided it's time to call it a quit. Sad but true. Sad because their brand of grindcore and their way of singing it made them quite famous in the scene. Although extremely aggressive and fat, their music was quite opened to experiments, making it more friendly to othe extreme metal listeners as well.
Here we have their last release, a digipak containing 17 tracks composed during the January 2007 - May 2008 period and lasting for over 27 minutes. Pure grindcore intensity, skillfully conceived, krafted with microscopic precision, a perfect sound for a grindcore release, with the perfect amount of hardcore touches, a damn masterpiece of the genre! Strongly recommended to all fans of this genre! It would have been better if the lyrics were in English, but anyway the Digipak doesn't have them listed, so there's no harm.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: CORPSEX
Country: UK
Title: Demo 1
Label: Torn Flesh Records
Year: 2009
Style: Gore Death Metal
Review:
This is an electronic release meaning is available only for download, free download. After giving it a listen I would say these guys could go for the real thing and release a demo on physical format, I'm sure the electronic format reaches more people, but they could do both. We're dealing with a brutal Gore Death Metal with the main aces being some pretty good guitar riffs and the gory vocals, but there are some facts that still keep them at an amateurish level namely the overuse of the same riffs which gets boring after a while and the screamed vocals which are simply awful if compared to the gory ones. Then the too synthetic drum programms get to be anoying. Still the band proves good skills and some good compositional ideas so I think if they'll work more on their tracks and record with a real drummer or a less synthetic drum program, this could be a good band in the underground. I like the idea to incorporate melodic guitar lines and solos, very skilful played, that gives their music a professional hint. The change of genre on the last track from Gore Death to simple Keyboard driven Ambient with Gory vocals is at least strange...
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: CREHATED
Country: Italy
Title: Anthems of Hate
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2008
Style: Thrash Metal
Review:
The last couple of years have been pretty good for Thrash Metal, with cracking releases from die-hard bands like Exodus and HateSphere to name but two. When Crehated’s release ‘Anthems of Hate’ popped into my inbox for review I had somewhat high hopes for what was to come. Hopes are somewhat prone to being dashed however, so I cast aside my preconceptions and started digging.
Ah, the archetypal evil clown… The cover art spoke volumes and it was difficult not to feel I knew what was coming. Then there was the Toxic Holocaust/Skeleton Witch styled logo… no matter how prosaic a first impression that might have been, was I getting warm I wondered? Well yeah, actually I kind of was…
Crehated’s ‘Anthems of Hate’ does pretty much what it says on the tin – old school thrash with various nods to other genres – in this case mostly death metal. The thrash/death mix is a well travelled path, but this particular offering seems to fall between two stools. The melodic death influences lack any actual punch and seem to slow the thrash assault before it gets off the ground. In the wonderfully bloated corpse that is death metal, this holds no rancid water, but likewise in the thrash camp this is a mild pretender.
Casting an eye over the statistics of the album reveals surprisingly lengthy tracks. Prior to listening I couldn’t help but wonder how the arrangements would cope with the extended format, and half way through track three, which clocks in at 8:39, I got my answer – they don’t. The basic riffs of the songs are like industry standards, with the distinct feeling that one has heard them before and now they seem to be familiar friends. However, they are squeezed together like pieces of a jigsaw that are roughly the same colour but obviously don’t fit. As one idea jumps into the next there’s the sense of disparate ideas being shoehorned into a very worn shoe.
The derivative nature of this release is too much of a handicap to real enjoyment, but that said ‘Anthems of Hate’ is not without its amusing moments. Track four for instance has a groove to it, despite often being interrupted by more riffs of the ‘thrash by numbers’ variety. But then there’s track five… It sounds like an out-take from an Arch Enemy musical interlude, and effectively jams the anchors on any momentum the album has gathered to that point.
Conclusion: ‘Anthems of Hate’ is actually oddly enjoyable, but for all the wrong reasons. To my ear, Crehated will garner no more than a few plays before being consigned to gathering dust on a high shelf.
Reviewed by Mark
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Band: CREMASTER
Country: Poland
Title: Pumpernikel
Label: Ukragh Productions
Year: 2007
Style: Grind'n'Roll
Review:
Although a bit old, I've received this for a review from Ukragh so I'll do it anyway.
Cremaster is a joke band, and I'm saying this literally, their songs are parodies of almost everything, from Black Metal to Power Metal, from Heavy Metal to Thrash. This style is basically a mixture of Thrash Metal, Grind, Punk and Rock'n'Roll, all played with 3 liters of Vodka aboard. :) As their label presents it, this is a CD you'll eitehr hate or love. And that's true, if you're not into funny metal stay away from it!
The guys, although their ironic aproach would not make you think this, are pretty good composers, their music is very, very diverse, there is no track that resembles with another and they go from Sepultura's kind of Power/Thrash to Grindcore or Punk and even Death Metal.
With lyrics in both English and Polish, I think this CD was enjoyed by a large audience. if you haven't had the chance to give it a listen and you're open-minded enough to like tracks like "Non Opus Gay", "Hellvis Presley", "The Dark Side of the Side of the Dark" or "David Lee Gorgo-Roth", the CD is still available from Ukragh. My fave track: "Child in Clock". :)
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: CYNICAL BASTARD
Country: Germany
Title: Act of Aggression
Label: Detuned Records
Year: 2009
Style: Crust Death Grind
Review:
Third full-length of this German band, first one out on a label, Detuned Records, of whom I must confess I've never heard of. It seems Cynical Bastard started as a Brutal Death Metal but now they are playing a blend of Grind, Crust and US style Brutal Death. The album contains 10 tracks, half an hour of playing. After a first listening I made up my mind, I like it. This is not the usual Grindcore Crust release, the mid-tempo Death Metal rhythms and guitar solos are a very good addition to their music, it makes it more complex and catchy. Also the band has a lot of groove in its music (especially in the drummer's work), a vocalist that fits in perfectly with the music and he's doing quite a good job here, but still the best in their music would be the catchy guitar work, an album that will gather grindcore, death, crust and hardcore listeners at the same time without boring any of them. The '80's like Thrash Metal oriented cover artwork doesn't have anything to do with the music inside, at least from my point of view.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: DELYRIA
Country: Italy
Title: Regression in Mind
Label: SG Records
Year: 2009
Style: Modern Death Metal
Review:
Now don’t get me wrong… I’m as fond of Gothenburg as the next man, but with many stellar bands making that sound authentic and wholly their own, the stragglers and hangers on to the scene can be a little wearing. Fortunately, such is not the case with Delyria’s ‘Regression in Mind’. Delyria tread a precise, and to my ear, balanced line between classic melodic death metal and a sparser, more clipped approach - think Heaven Shall Burn meets Soilwork.
Far from thinking of these paralells/influences as points scratched from the overall tally, Delyria have made a good, solid album, that despite being far from groundbreaking, retains a nice characterful twist on the Gothenburg sound. There are moments during which the twin leads and guitar solos tend to clog the arteries with cholesterol heavy cheese, but their sparse application fortunately saves the day. This band seem to be about getting the job done rather than being over excited by their own technical virtuosity, and for that I applaud them. The album is well produced with a strong muscularity that hasn’t been overly cleaned or compressed, and the vocal nod to contemporary hardcore gives the sound a crispness that more than makes up for the guitar melodics.
The bottom line: if you’re after a modern metal album with nods to all the right places, cholesterol notwithstanding, ‘Regression in Mind’ may well float your boat. Delyria have created an impressive debut, and one cannot help but look forward to seeing what comes next.
Reviewed by Mark
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Band: DESPISE & CONQUER
Country: Germany
Title: Promo
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2009
Style: Melodic Thrash Death
Review:
Despise & Conquer comes from Germany and it was formed last year as a six pieces band. This one is their first effort, a 3 tracks piece of Thrash Death Metal, mastered by Dan Swano in person. The first track displays a quite simple but catchy Thrash Metal supported by '90's type of Doom Death keyboards. The second track starts with synths a la '90's Czech Gothic Metal scene and continue on the same manner as the first track, and finally "Casting Skin" ends this CD as maybe the best track, a track I would say could be described as a combination of old Demimonde and Lux Occulta. Maybe the only reason they add Death Metal in their style description are the vocals, really good, comprehensive vocals, though So to sum it up Despise & Conquer is a Melodic Thrash / Death band with '90's European Gothic Death and Doom Death influences (first track insludes also a brief female vocal background passage). Not modern or innovative at all, but very entertaining and quite catchy that it makes me sad it ends after less than 15 minutes.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: DEVAST
Country: Algeria
Title: Art of Extermination
Label: Deep Send Records
Year: 2008
Style: Brutal Technical Death Metal
Review:
Devast is an Algerian band formed in 2006 by two guys. After releasing a demo and a split CD, they have completed their line-up and now, as a quartet, they have unleashed thie album, their debut. What can I say, we're dealing with an impressive Technical Death Metal band, mostly because of their guitar skills. The guitars are playing a capital role here. If you listen carefully to their 23 minutes album you'll get an original stab of American Brutal Death Metal played with so much technical skills they're bursting out every minute. The guirats and bass are in a continuous race of twisted and sick sounds. It sounds like walking your dog through The Aristocats neighbourhood, how can you hold him in a leash?
the only part that needs to be improved is the sound; this album has a bit less Brutal Death Metal sound than maybe it deserved. It's a bit too dry, but their technical skills, the blasting, fast drums, and the growling vocals are compensating enough to give us a good album.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: DYING
Country: Spain
Title: Born from Impurity
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2009
Style: Brutal Death Metal
Review:
I remember reviewing one of Dying's demos sometime ago, but honestly I can't remember if I liked them or not. Well, this is their debut album, an 11 tracks (45 mins) effort that walks on the Brutal Death Metal path, without any influences from other genres. This is plain and simple Brutal Death from the bowels: deep, guttural vocals, fast and complex double guitars that complement each other pretty neat, blasting rhythm section, catchy parts, to sum it up, an enjoyable release, recommended to all of you into this genre. They are not innovative, but they give a solid display of technical and compositional skills, definitely a mature outfit. A band that should be signed at any costs, they promise a lot.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: EMPIRE SATANICUM
Country: Russia
Title: Hatred of Black God
Label: Desolation Prod.
Year: 2009
Style: Dark Black Metal
Review:
Maybe I don't understand this genre, but I don't like this CD at all. Empire Satanicum started as a band, well one-man-band, just this year and they have already released 1 demo, 1 Split and this album. Hatred of Black God is a 7 tracks (27 minutes) release, a very curious release because if the dark ambient part is as it should be, dark, cold, scarry and deep, the black metal part leaves room for a looot more: extremely simple and uninspired guitars, fast and sometimes totally out of pace drums, but the vocals are quite ok, cavernous, satanic and sick as hell. The drums and guitars parts simply ruin all this project. And this is not the first time I'm listening to minimalistic black metal, I've found really acceptable bands, though, but not Empire Satanicum. So the only things I like here would be the overall atmosphere and the voice that's present here and there and is sounding like a Russian Orthodox piest (young, though). Sorry but that's not enough.
Reviewed by Adrian
Contact:
Band: EPITIMIA
Country: Russia
Title: To the Non-existing Shades...
Label: Beneath The Fog Prod.
Year: 2009
Style: Ambient Black Metal
Review:
Epitimia is a Russian trio founded in the beginning of last year. "To the..." is their debut album, out on Beneath The Fog, after the release of a demo, and contains 7 tracks (46 minutes) of depressive Ambient Black Metal. What can I say, the tracks structure is quite simple but very effective: memorable lines, deep emotion, slow to mid-tempo rhythms, the right amount of keyboard backgrounds, Suicidal Black Metal vocals, "regular" Black Metal guitars supported by, I think, programmed drums and bass. I don't really like the mixing and mastering of the whole, and think they would have deserved a better work, but after all I can say these three Russians are displaying a very good compositional potential here, they managed to create some pretty deep depressive melodies here and I'm sure the ones of you into underground suicidal/slow (black) metal would appreciate this album. As for me, I like a lot the 5th track, one made completely by piano & guitar, it has that special atmosphere I could listen to again and again. A very good addition for this album.
Reviewed by Adrian
Contact:
Band: FALLEN ANGELS
Country: USA
Title: Rise From Ashes
Label: Metal On Metal
Year: 2008
Style: Old-School Thrash Metal
Review:
Fallen Angels was formed in 2002 in Seattle, USA as a Thrash Metal act and so they remained. This is their debut album, 8 tracks (almost 40 minutes) of Ol-School Thrash Metal to the bone. It's nice to hear such bands playing like they are in the '80's and nothing has changed, I'm sure they have their own public (me included), keeping that rebelious feeling in playing their instruments, a feeling lots of Thrash Metal acts lost Today. Nowadays everyone's thrying to play as precise as they can (or can't in some cases), but Fallen Angels are rough, unpolished and give you the impression of a mad bully always ready for a fist fight. Too bad the others are using guns these days...
So what you get here is a furious assault of fast paced, twisted (especially the guitar and bass solos, yes, bass solos) Thrash Metal played with passion. Nothing more, nothing less. They are all good instrumentists and it's nice to see they're all influenced by the '80's metal only, there are no modern touches here. on my tastes this is a kick-ass mad and ugly band, but don't look for it if your playlist is not at least 70% made of old-school stuff.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: FERMENTIA
Country: USA
Title: Demo
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2009
Style: Brutal Death Metal
Review:
I've reviewed this band 2 months ago and back then I was not convinced at all by their 2 tracks promo. Now I've received their follow-up demo, a 7 tracks release (including the 2 before mentioned songs re-recorded) lasting for around 17 minutes. The sound quality is much better, and also there is a lot more guitar work this time, and a very good work I must say: twisted, aggressive, technical, upfront, and above all, catchy. Vocals are on the same ultra-guttural line, this time with some screams spiced here and there, and the rhythm section is giving it all. Some Grindcore influences are also present (especially in "Korean Chic"), but my opinion, although those inserts are pretty good, they should concentrate more on their Brutal Death path, they have convinced me this time that they can do a good job.
The last track of this release is instrumental, but music-wise it has nothing to do with the previous ones (sounds like back to Promo 2009, a rehearsal recorded track) so I don't really understand what's its point here. Fave track: Cannibal Cuban.
Reviewed by Adrian
Contact:
Band: FILE OF GHOSTS
Country: Finland
Title: The Gates
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2009
Style: Lo-fi Melodic Brutal Death Metal
Review:
Maybe naming this Brutal Death Metal would be wrong, but it has the most influences from Brutal Death, and together with some melodic keyboard lines here and there, a lo-fi recorded voice, to sum it up, would give the Style above mentioned.
File Of Ghosts is a one-man-band with Sami as the mastermind behind all music and interpretation. Here he tried to blend and expose all his influences in one sole project. You can hear from the ultra fast, blasting drum programms, to death metal / brutal death metal guitar leads to some mid-tempo melodic black metal guitar riffs and atmosphere, a vocal style I would name raw black metal meets industrial. Very interesting underground release, a breat of originality. If you're not easily disturbed by drum programs (pretty much the only thing I don't like on this CD), give File Of Ghosts a listen. I give my thombs up for Sami, this is a good, entertaining underground release I would certainly buy, it reminds me of the beginning of the '90's metal enthousiasm. The CD booklet containg a black paper sheet with lyrics for all 5 tracks (the intro is instrumental).
Reviewed by Adrian
Contact:
Band: FOLKSTORM
Country: The Netherlands
Title: Stemmen van het woud
Label: Thorn Laceration Rec.
Year: 2009
Style: Ambient Atmospheric Folk
Review:
This is a band you will have to listen to a few times to full experience their sound and make a decision on whether their your kinda band or not. From The Netherlands Folkstorm has created a impressive mcd of music here. Five songs of atmospheric, folkish black metal metal. The CD starts out with midpaced rythm guitars, drums and keyboards to welcome you to Folkstorm's dark atmospheric world. The second song the band really kicks in with the black metal guitar sound and some harsher vocal lines without loosing or overlaping any of the melody or atmospheric influences. Each of the five songs stays within the same formula of mid-paced dark music never going into the more violent straight forward style. I will admit a few times throughout the CD some parts were a little drawn out and repetitive but for a newer band and for the style of music Folkstorm play their not bad at all. Will be interesting to hear their future releases and hear them grow.
Reviewed by Patrick
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Band: HATRED ANGEL
Country: Japan
Title: I don't wanna Die
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2007
Style: Black Death Metal
Review:
Although formed back in 1999, Hatred Angel have only managed to release 1 full-length, "I don't wanna Die". No demos, no EPs, no splits, only this album.
This 10 tracks effort is situated on the Black Death Metal path with melodic keyboard infusions from time to time. The compositions are pretty good, there's no innovation or anything spectacular (except the short guitar solos), but they are complex enough to make you follow this album step by step. This would have been a good album in the '90's but now it's just a mediocre release with nothing to stand out in the crowd of such bands. The mastering could have been a lot better, too.
Reviewed by Adrian
Contact:
Band: HEAVY LORD
Country: Holland
Title: The Holy Grail (rerelease)
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2009
Style: Stoner Doom
Review:
The Holy Grail by Dutch Doomster's Heavy Lord is a re-release of their first demo basically extended to a full length album with the inclusion of a bonus track "Get Down There You Bitch". Its a real shame that this band is still flying under the radar for most people who are into the whole Stoner Doom genre, its bizarre because they are one of the best exponents of Raw, Dirty Sludged out Doom Metal. The old school influences shine through in the analog recorded dope smoke haze and one listen will tell you they are hardly re-inventing anything within the genre but they are so powerful, the riffs so pulverizing that originality is not a issue that will concerned anyone. Vocals are hoarse and tortured, changing between gravely bellowing and agonized screams and this serves its purpose adequately to create a claustrophobic feeling, and as such the sound is better than average for a what is essentially a demo recording. There is bursts of aggression among the mostly dirge based Stoner Doom and they even manage to squeeze in some Psychedelic touches here and there. Highlights include "Magician Of Black Chaos" which is crushing in its intensity and "Dope Smoking Daze" that has one of the coolest clean then aggressive vocal sections you will ever hear. At times it gets a little repetitive but when they do it in such a trance-like manner like this you cant help but getting suck into the groove. This is obviously a drug-influenced album with lyrics like "Enter the dreamland/Joint in hand and pass it on/And then you’ll roll another one" ( Dope Smoking Daze). I think you can understand where this band is coming from. Another highlight is the eight-minute "Gods Of Doom" begins with a two-minute slow build before bringing everything crashing down on the listener's head in a Sleep like barrage of a riff.The re-release has "Get down there you bitch" as a bonus track, for which they returned to the same studio to record, giving it a better quality sound and its a great tune. Heavy Lord are a energetic and invigorating band to listen to and even though this has all the qualities of a demo recording, it still is good enough to melt eardrums. If you never bothered to check this band out, now is the time.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: HER BLACKENED ROSE
Country: UK
Title: Introspection
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2009
Style: Ambient Dark
Review:
Her Blackened Rose is a one-man-project from UK, well actually a one woman project because behind it is a 18 years old lady named Claire. Ambient music would be the best term to describe her music, but the Dark side comes in the atmosphere she creates: the synths / keys make you feel like you're all by yourself in a cold, dark room and Claire's soft, delicate voice is like a ray of light that gives you hope. This one is a very relaxing, enchanting release, and I would name a few contradictory terms to describe it: cold, solitude, warm, meditation, desperation, hopeles, positive, ironic, delicate, depressive. Ok, go give it a listen, it's available for free download, I know I've confused you enough, haha. The last track it's a bit too pushy, though, it's the only one I don't like.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: HUGIN MUNIN
Country: Brasil
Title: A Viking Funeral
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2008
Style: Viking Metal
Review:
Hugin Munin is a Brasilian Viking Metal band formed in 2007 that released by now no less than 3 EPs, 1 live album and 1 full-length. "A Viking Funeral", although from 2008 is really their first effort, a Single composed of 2 tracks into Viking inspired Doom Metal with deep, comprehensive vocals, some male choirs on the first track, simple guitar riffs supported by some pretty good guitar solos from time to time, distorted doom metal bass lines and a bit too simple drums.
A mediocre start for Hugin Munin, but it's still a start, check them out, their latest releases may be much evolved.
Reviewed by Adrian
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