Pitch Black Records

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    Illnath – 4 Shades of Me (2013)

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    After their surprising transformation on “Third Act in the Theatre of Madness”, Illnath returns with a very solid release rooted on a bigger Melodic Death Metal foundation. “4 Shades of Me” features 11 tracks of superbly catchy Melodic Death Metal that shows the band nicely settling into their new career path.

    Immediately after the so-so opener “Blood Warrior”, “Gallow Hill” shows the first signs of brilliance in this release with super catchy riffing and a crushing sense of melody and aggression. The band’s growler Mona Beck does a fine job in delivering harsh vocals that if you didn’t read it was a female singer, it would be hard to figure out.

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    Access Denied – Touch of Evil (2012)

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    Arriving today from Pitch Black Records we have Access Denied and their weird mixture of Gothic Rock with some Heavy Metal elements. Hailing from Poland, the band deliver nine tracks that the more we listen to them, the more we can’t really get into them. With a very linear and predictable style, this band’s release sounds very hollow and quite dull since the first few songs.

    Opening with a quite deceitful intro track that leads you to believe you are in for a treat of epic proportions, the band really brings the standard way down with the childish “Messenger of Death”. In this song we get some insipid guitars alongside some of the flattest female vocals we have heard in quite a while. They do have a few interesting changes, but they might be accidental since the ideas of the song seem all over the place.

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    Illnath – Third Act in the Theatre of Madness (2011)

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    Finally returning after 5 years since the band’s last full-length release “Second Skin of Harlequin”, today we have Denmark’s Illnath and their characteristic Melodic Black Metal. With several lineup changes, “Third Act in the Theatre of Madness” showcases the band’s new female growler Mona Beck and session drummer Reno Killerich. Now signed to Pitch Black Records, the band shows that they are back stronger than ever and with the ten tracks presented in this release, they mean serious business.

    “Third Act” opens the album in a very traditional manner, with some keyboards, a pounding bass guitar line and tight drumming. The first surprise comes when Mona starts singing since she does not sound like your typical female growler. As a regular reader of Infernal Masquerade you might be aware that we are tired of this gimmick, but for Illnath, the female growler works perfectly. Just like a more aggressive version Angela Gossow, Mona brings a new level of brutality to the band’s sound.

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    Arrayan Path – Ira Imperium (2011)

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    Nicholas Leptos and company return with yet another impressive Power Metal release that any fan of the genre should not miss. With “Ira Imperium”, the band looks to establish themselves as one of the best bands in the genre and the have the music to do so. Featuring 13 tracks of very well crafted music filled with catchy guitar melodies and impressive vocal harmonies, Arrayan Path is clearly one the best ‘relatively unknown’ bands of this genre.

    Getting down to business since the opener track “Dies Irae”, we get a glimpse of the band’s abilities to create powerful music that feels fresher than most Power Metal we get these days. With a strong Greek/Mediterranean influence in the band’s sound, you are guaranteed to step away form the traditional Power Metal sound we are all accustomed to. Nicholas Leptos nicely leads the band’s characteristic sound and in the second track “Gnosis of Prometheus” this is very evident, especially on the chorus section.

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    Emerald Sun – Regeneration (2011)

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    Hailing from Greece, next up in our review queue is Emerald Sun’s third full-length album “Regenration”. While Emerald Sun is nowhere near the ‘original’ category, this band does a killer job in crafting Power Metal songs with an old school vibe.

    “Regeneration” features nearly 50 minutes of very enjoyable and flawlessly executed music that can surely please the most demanding fans of the genre. Of particular interest in this CD we have a cover of Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding out for a Hero” song which is pretty entertaining to say the least.

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    Pictures of Pain – The Reckoning (2010)

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    Today we have a very interesting (and little known) band from Norway with the name of Pictures of Pain. The band plays a very strange mix of Melodic Metal with Heavy and Death/Black Metal influences, yes, we know it sounds confusing, but they do an average job in creating a very diverse and original sound.

    “The Reckoning” marks the band’s first full-length release and they managed to fill up this CD almost entirely with 67 minutes of music. Most of the band members have ‘other band’ experience, but the only name that rings any bells is Rune Fredriksen from Thundra and session for Evig Natt, needless to say, all musicians do a great job in this release.

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    Arryan Path – Terra Incognita (2010)

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    Arryan Path is the second band we review from Cyprus this week and this one is a way better than the last one we did. The band plays Epic Power Metal with some hints of Middle Eastern influences like Orphaned Land does.

    “Terra Incognita” is the band’s second release, and it’s a pretty solid one. This album comes to us as a surprise, especially after the last 10 Power Metal albums we have received sound exactly the same. Arryan Path has a very unique feeling to their music and this is what makes them stand out from the rest.

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    Lethal Saint – Lethal Saint (2010)

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    In our playlist we find ourselves today with Lethal Saint’s self-title debut album. After doing some research we find out that the band hails from Cyprus and they formed back in 2006. As you would imagine from the cover of this album, the band is plays old-school Heavy Metal, a style that has been gaining a second round at the spotlight and many bands are jumping in to capitalize on this movement.

    “Lethal Saint” features 12 songs and over 70 minutes of music, a feat that seems very impressive for a band’s first release. However, the overall impression is that this release is a hit and miss festival, there are good songs, and then some very bad ones. The common factor that brings this band’s debut release to a low score of 70 points is the off-key vocalist.

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    Silent Fall – Otherwise (2010)

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    Hailing from France we have Silent Fall, a band that recently changed their name from Winterland and play a mean combination of Melodic Power/Heavy Metal. In the same vein as compatriots Adagio, the band specializes in bombastic melodies filled with intricate guitar and keyboard arrangements.

    The big name Japanese band called Versailles is the first comparison that comes to mind once we started listening to “Otherwise” the band’s first full-length release. While Silent Fall is less theatrical than Versailles, the vocal sound and the overall song structure is very similar. And if you know who Versailles is, you know that a comparison to them should not be taken lightly.

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