Melodic Death Metal

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Kalmah – Seventh Symphony (2013)

    cover

    If you ever wondered what Children of Bodom would sound if they had continued perfecting their sound instead of going on a tangent and producing several crappy records before 2013, you would be listening to Kalmah’s latest release “Seventh Symphony”. This Finnish outfit delivers eight tracks of awesome Melodic Death Metal filled with guitar and keyboard acrobatics and a killer sense of melody.

    Blasting away with the album’s title track, we get a throwback powerful Melodic Death Metal sound with some CoB and Wintersun magic thrown into the mix. The band’s sound is quite powerful and diverse, yet it feels quite familiar thanks to the killer guitar work and magical keyboards. Recently appointed keyboardist Veli-Matti Kananen adds more dynamic keys to the band’s already intricate sound. While we were bigger fans of the band’s darker beginnings, we are all up for their current dynamic sound.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    September Murder - He Who Invokes Decadence (2013)

    cover

    Germany has always been one of the best countries for Metal music to flourish over the years, with a huge scene and tons of quality bands emerging every year. Today we have September Murder and their sophomore release “He Who Invokes Decadence”. Delivering eight tracks of high quality Melodic/Progressive Death Metal, this band is ready for prime time and they have a very convincing case with this impressive release.

    The album’s opening statement is “Under Severed Skies”, an excellent track that combines heavy intricate guitar work and crushing growls. The band is in no hurry of blasting you away, opting to deliver precise blows of hyper-fast sections surrounded by excellent melodic passages. The band’s old-school Death Metal influences are clear, but they manage to clean them up with incise guitar and bass guitar work in killer tracks like “Two Culprits, One Oath” and Death-esque “Among Vultures”.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Nethermost – Alpha (2013)

    cover

    Originally released as an independent EP, today we have Nethermost debut EP “Alpha”. Hailing from the USA, one would have never imagined this by just listening to the band’s excellent Melodic Death/Doom Metal. With clear influences of early Katatonia, October Tide and similar bands, the band delivers nearly 20 minutes of very well crafted tunes that are quite melancholic and melodic in nature.

    When researching the band we have noticed that for this release they used fake (aka programmed) drums and bass guitar, something that made us a bit skeptical about the quality of their music, but they managed to pull it off quite nicely. Opening with “Phasing Currents” we immediately hear the familiar Katatonia-esque guitar sound accompanied by raspier growls. The music is a bit raw, but works well and adds more character and melancholy to the band’s sound.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Wall of the Eyeless – Wimfolsfestta (2013)

    cover

    One of the most rewarding things about reviewing music for Infernal Masquerade is the ability to discover excellent bands like Wall of The Eyeless. Having extremely liked their first demo “Through Emptiness”, we are pleased to receive their newest 4-song demo release “Wimfolsfestta”. Delivering over 25 minutes of intricate Progressive Death Metal, this band seems to have all the potential to be signed by any mayor Metal music label in the world.

    “Flicker” is the first track on this release and it delivers a nearly 10-minute emotional ride through excellent riffs, tight drumming, and an effective combination of growls and clean vocals. The band’s ability to create intricate compositions that weave back and forth from melodic passages into aggressive sections is quite excellent and it is perfectly showcased in this song. “The Longest Winter” comes in with a faster and more direct approach. Keeping the melodic side of things always present, this track nicely combines merciless riffs with powerful growls.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Distress of Ruin – Predators Among Us (2013)

    cover

    Making its way from Finland, today we have the debut EP “Predators Among Us” of Melodic Death Metal newcomers Distress of Ruin. Trying to make an impact in this very crowded scene, the band pulls all the stops and delivers six hard-hitting tracks that showcase their excellent abilities. With fierce competition of bands like Omnium Gatherum and Insomnium, the band made a great impression on us with their quality riffing and extra catchy melodies presented in this excellent release.

    Opening with some excellent atmospheric keyboards and acoustic guitars on “The Ocean of Perdition”, the band immediately makes their mark with epic riffs and crushing growls. While sounding a bit like Insomnium, they still get our attention since the band’s songwriting skills are top notch and the track sounds amazing. Things pickup with the tight drumming of “They Play Dead”, a song that is superbly catchy and features super effective riffs. The mixture of clean and harsh vocals works great and provides a nice contrast between the two.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Hypocrisy – End of Disclosure (2013)

    cover

    Four years have passed since the crushing “A Taste of Extreme Divinity” and Hypocrisy finally returns with a release that brings them back to their more melodic and epic sound of albums like “The Fourth Dimension” and “The Final Chapter”. Bringing back the demonic aliens on the album cover, this release is both powerful and melodic with epic riffs and haunting atmospheres, a must have for any fan of the band’s earlier work.

    Opening with the atmospheric epic “End of Disclosure” we are immediately transported to the band’s classics like “Roswell 1947” and similar tracks from those years. The band really changed things up from their last album to this one, and we particularly like this more melodic approach they have. The riffing as you can expect is amazing and on “Tales of Thy Spineless” they bust out some crushing Thrash Metal-style passages that will make you headbang instantly.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    October Tide – Tunnel of No Light (2013)

    cover

    Recently resurrected (2009) October Tide delivers us their second release in four years with “Tunnel of No Light”. Featuring their traditional early Katatonia sound from the 90’s, this band keeps doing what they do best, and we totally dig them for that. Lead by Fredrik Norrman, the band recently changed bass guitarist and vocalist, but you can’t even tell the difference since October Tide is as melancholic and brutal as ever.

    Opening with their signature layered guitars on “Of Wounds To Come”, we get the first impression of the band’s new growler Alexander Högbom, and we must say it is very impressive. The intricate melodic guitar work is the staple of the band and they do not disappoint in tracks like this one and “Our Constellation”. The first Doom epic comes under the name of “Emptiness Fulfilled” and its crushing weeping riffs. This song delivers both magical melodic passages and super powerful growls… exactly what Infernal Masquerade likes.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Soilwork – The Living Infinite (2013)

    cover

    Suffering by the exit (for the second time) of their long-time guitarist and main songwriter, Peter Wichers, Soilwork manages to regroup and produce one of the best efforts to dates in the double album “The Living Infinite”. With all the band participating in the songwriting process, their latest release is actually very dynamic and diverse, exploring all facets of Soilwork’ sound from the last years.

    Keeping on their Metalcore / Melodic Metal path, the band immediately opens the first CD of this release with the crushing “Spectrum of Eternity”, a track that perfectly mixes intense passages with melodic sections. Björn Strid’s vocals are once again perfect in blending harsh elements with soaring clean vocals giving the music a versatile sound that many bands fails miserably at.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Okular – Sexforce (2013)

    cover

    Coming along with quite a set of positive reviews for their earlier work, today we have Norway’s Okular and their sophomore release “Sexforce”. Playing an interesting mixture of Progressive Death Metal with some Melodic DM elements, this band is full of creative and unique ideas, too bad they can’t seem to really work them together in a cohesive manner. Besides the obvious musical quality, this release features guest appearances by Athera (Susperia) on seven tracks and Vintersorg on one song.

    After many listening to this promo countless times, we are torn about not really being able to like it as a whole. The album is quite complex and has plenty of layers to it, but they mostly feel like several things going in different directions and never really coming together properly. On the one hand, we have killer guitar work on songs like “Not Separate” and “Sexforce”, but some of the tempo changes are confusing and the vocals go in different directions.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Illnath – 4 Shades of Me (2013)

    cover

    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.

Pages

Recent Image Galleries