Other

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Lullacry – Where Angels Fear (2012)

    cover

    Finally after a seven year wait, Lullacry is set to release their 5th full-length release titled “Where Angels Fear”. In this latest release, the band sounds very mature and avoids the cliché Gothic Metal or Pop-Metal release and favors a heavier and darker Melodic Heavy Metal release with just a few Gothic Metal hints. Featuring 11 hard-hitting tracks, “Where Angels Fear” is by far the best release of the band since “Crucify My Heart”.

    Being huge fans of the band’s previous releases, we are just realizing that we are old since the last album we liked from the band was almost 10 years ago. Aside from this, the band has also managed to stay pretty much intact and features the same lineup since 2002 when Tanja Lainio joined the band. This has clearly allowed them to fully develop a sound of their own and be able to produce such a mature release with “Where Angels Fear”.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Your Tomorrow Alone – Ordinary Lives (2012)

    cover

    Rounding out our most recent promo package from My Kingdom Records, today we have Your Tomorrow Alone debut full-length release “Ordinary Lives”. Mixing Gothic Metal with Doom influences, this is one of those releases that is full of emotional songs that are also very catchy and approachable by the listeners. For over 50 minutes this Italian band will surely entertain you with their well written tracks and melancholic music.

    Opening with “Renaissance”, the first riffs reminded us of EvenSong’s “Path of the Angels” release since they have a similar sound to them. Combining clear vocals with growls, the band nicely creates a very solid atmosphere and keeps things standard, without needing to go to the overly abused usage of female vocals. The atmosphere keeps getting more dramatic and emotional with the powerful “Praise for nothing”. In this track, the band uses some classical elements to add more depth to their sound and this works perfectly.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Disguise – Second Coming (2012)

    cover

    With a very interesting combination of Melodic elements and furious Black Metal, today we have Italy’s Disguise and their latest release “Second Coming”. In this eight-tracks 42-minute effort features very powerful songs that are nicely contrasted by a few keyboards and even some Black’n’roll tracks that will surely please any fan of bands like Satyricon, Dark Funeral and Anorexia Nervosa.

    With punishing riffs and a very brutal drum track, the album opens in full strength with “Fragile Certain Death”. The overall pace of this song is very typical of late Satyricon, but with an emphasis on being brutal. The atmospheric/melodic elements start being more noticeable on tracks like “I am Alone” and “The Origin of the Unknown”. In these two songs the band goes on full endurance mode with some furious speed-up sections that rival Dark Funeral’s stamina.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Drakkar – When Lightning Strikes (2012)

    cover

    Delivering their first release in 10 years, today we have Drakkar and their latest release “When Lightning Strikes”. This Power Metal outfit from Italy apparently was one of the biggest band’s in the genre back in the 90’s and they now return with a very traditional sound… for the 90’s indeed. Powering through 15 tracks, this release is as vanilla as you can get with a very few decent songs.

    In a time when everybody and their mom plays Power Metal, Drakkar does not offer much in terms of originality and even their well-executed songs sound very cliché and dull after a while. We have the dramatic fantasy inspired keyboard intro with “Hyperspace – The Arrival”, a very predictable track that just points out what is to come: predictable and very ‘normal’ music.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    So Much for Nothing – Livsgnist (2012)

    cover

    As an early candidate of Black Metal release of the year, today we have So Much for Nothing’s debut full-length “Livsgnist”. This two-man outfit does an excellent job in taking Suicidal Black Metal into a whole new level, and will surely take years for any band to rival with Erik Unsgaard and Uruz have achieved with this album. Featuring seven tracks and around 50 minutes of gut-wrenching depressive music, this is the kind of release that will leave a deep impact on your psyche and will not easily be forgotten.

    Having people like Niklas Kvarforth and Peter Huss of Shining, Julianne Kostøl of Pantheon I, Trondr Nefas of Urgehal, and Seidemann of 1349, among many others as guest musicians, So Much for Nothing is the equivalent of Ayreon and Avantasia in the realm of Black Metal. With a excellent foundation provided by Unsgaard and Uruz, this release takes things to a completely different plane of existence and almost achieves musical perfection.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Hyde Abbey – Hall of Shame (2011)

    cover

    Originally released as a free download on the internet “Hall of Shame” marked the debut release of Spanish Deathcore beasts Hyde Abbey. Now being properly released through Suspiria Records, this album delivers 12 tracks of punishing Deathcore/Metalcore that will surely rattle your speakers for a prolonged amount of time.

    Not being our favorite genre, we are always skeptical about Deathcore releases since they are a dime a dozen and usually they all sound exactly the same. Hyde Abbey does a great job in delivering a very brutal and powerful sound similar to bands like The Black Dahlia Murder, Oceano, etc, and while not being overly original, the band does create some very badass songs.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Gothminister – Anima Inferna (2011)

    cover

    Rounding off our promo package from End of Light records, today we have Gothminister and their fourth full-length release “Anima Inferna”. Presenting 11 tracks of a very engaging and catchy mixture of Gothic and Industrial Metal paired with plenty of electronic elements. Drawing similarities to Combichrist and Rammstein, this band shows a great deal of maturity in their latest release.

    Opening with the very catchy “Stonhenge”, the band quickly shows their skills in crafting simple-yet-effective guitar riffs and a very atmospheric song structure. The combination of the clean vocals with the female choir is just outstanding and gives a very eerie and ethereal feeling, especially when the song is coming to a close. “Liar” delivers super catchy electronic beats and very intoxicating vocal melodies, we are not huge fans of this type of music but Gothminister makes it very hard for us not to like this song.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Antagonist Zero – Nighttime Harmony (2012)

    cover

    Delivering one of the most interesting sounding EP’s we have received in quite a while, today we have Antagonist Zero and their 3-song debut EP “Nighttime Harmony”. Self-labeled as “Catatonic Metal”, the band mixes Doom and Death/Black Metal element in a very effective manner. With an excellent production behind this EP, the three tracks sound like a million bucks, and also left us wanting more from this young and promising band.

    Opening with a very slow-paced jazzy intro, “AZ” is the EP’s first track that shows excellent musical skills since the first few minutes. Once the growls kick in, we are immediately sold on the band’s rich and powerful sound. The guitar riffs are excellent and the drumming is pretty well crafted, the melodic nature of the music reminds us of Insomnium, Swallow the Sun, and similar Finish bands.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Banda de la Muerte – Pulso de una mente maldita (2012)

    cover

    As one of the catchiest releases we have received in quite a while, today we have Banda de la Muerte’s second full-length release “Pulso de una mente maldita”. In this Stoner Metal/Rock release, these Argentineans create very effective songs that feature powerful guitars and a great sense of melody, making each song very unique and memorable.

    With a very imposing attitude, this band truly owns each song and sounds with such a determination that is rare to find these days. Opening with the driven “Te estas dejando mentir”, the guitars take front stage and never let go. The riffing is powerful and the bass guitar line is very well marked. Immediately we can hear the crystal clear production behind this release, allowing us to fully enjoy this release.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Demoncy – Enthroned is the Night (2012)

    cover

    As a new entry in our “raw as fuck” category, today we have Demoncy and their latest release “Enthroned is the Night”. As the band’s first full-length release in almost 9 years, we get 40 minutes of soul crushing Black Metal that is very raw and demonic in nature. This one man Black Metal machine does a great job in delivers a think atmosphere that will unsettle even the most devote fans of the genre.

    Opening with an intro that reminded us of the movie “Event Horizon”, the band fully explodes with “Winds of Plague”. In this hectic ritual, Demoncy immediately established its riffing power and thanks to the hellish vocals, this song (and release) sounds as inhuman as you can get. The album’s production actually gives the band that raw and lo-fi sound that many BM bands look for, but it does not keep the listener from enjoying this album. Pummeling through tracks like “Unclean Spirits”, “Into the Twilight Mists”, and “Opening the Lunar Bloodgate”, Demoncy does a great job in writing simple songs that pack enough aggression and rawness to please any fan of the genre.

Pages

Recent Image Galleries