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    Brutally Deceased – Dead Lovers’ Guide (2010)

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    Hailing from the Czech Republic, today we have the neck-breaking music of Brutally Deceased and their debut full-length release “Dead Lovers’ Guide”. Many new bands attempt to play ‘old-school’ Swedish Death Metal but fail miserably, however Brutally Deceased excels in this department very nicely and created 33 minutes of retro-DM that fans of the genre will love.

    With a very solid production, “Dead Lovers’ Guide” will drill your ears for nine very catchy tracks. The band’s music has just the right feeling to believe you are back in the early days of Grave, Dismember, Morgoth, but has the 2010 studio clarity.

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    Svartpest – Mjodfest (2010)

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    With a story that reads like a soap opera (according to the press kit), today we have Norway’s Svartpest and their latest release “Modfest”. In this album we get 7 tracks of a mixture of Black Metal with some Viking/Folk influences that feels somewhat a bit undercooked, but decent enough to make an ok album.

    Taking 3 songs from their 99 demo (with the same title), the band gives us a total of 7 tracks that dramatically vary in quality, but have a few decent ones to call this album a ‘lukewarm’ success. We have nothing against such releases, but we think is kind of lame to rehash older songs for newer releases (unless you are a band with a long (and recognized) trajectory).

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    Liktjern - Kulde, Pest & Død (2011)

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    Hailing from Norway, today we have another Black Metal band popping out of the woods. Liktjern has been around since 1996 but due to tons of line-up changes and everything you can imagine, the band has never released any music until “Kulde, Pest & Død”, a very raw and ‘traditional sounding’ Black Metal MCD.

    As we are reviewing this album during a winter storm, we can surely state that this kind of Black Metal is just right for these moments. All 4 songs are raw and basic, a simplistic but rather traditional approach to the genre, but then again who said Black Metal is supposed to be pretty.

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    Macabre – Grim Scary Tales (2011)

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    The masters of deranged music and sick and twisted lyrical content are back with their first full-length release in eight years. “Grim Scary Tales” is consisted of 14 tracks, each referring to a killer and their atrocities, which make for 50 minutes of very interesting tracks that vary between Death Metal, Grindcore, Technical DM, and overall madness.

    With the opening track “Locusta”, Corporate Death and Nefarious deliver a brutal two prong bass guitar and lead guitar attack that will render the listener unconscious due to the high intensity of the song. Moving over we have the completely insane “Nero’s Inferno”, a piece that sounds straight out of a circus formed by psych patients.

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    Ptahil – The Black Fire (2010)

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    In preparation for their upcoming full-length CD for Wraith Productions "For His Satanic Majesty's Glory", we get 3 crushing tracks of nihilistic Black/Doom Metal from one of USA’s newest and most diabolical bands. For 13 minutes we are transported to the depts. of hell, thanks to a raw and thick atmosphere that evolves you in full darkness.  

    With two new tracks and a cover of Beherit’s “Gate of Nanna”, this demo CD has enough sauce to keep fans going until their new album gets released. The crushing track “World Ablaze” kicks off this CD and immediately starts with blasting drums, hellish vocals and a very raw nature to the song that makes it highly effective. We are not sure that this will be the final mix and how the CD will sound, but we dig the rawness of this track.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Ptahil – Anti-Flesh Existence (2010)

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    “Anti-Flesh Existence” marks the band’s debut full-length album, but it only includes 3 tracks and the version we got for review has the two tracks of their “Ortus” EP (which we reviewed here http://www.infernalmasquerade.com/?q=reviews/00743-ptahil-ortus-2010). With such a weird way of presenting your first full-length, we will discuss these three brutal tacks in depth as part of this review.

    “In Ritual to Yam” we get an old school Black Metal track in the vein of Bathory, Venom, Hellhamer, etc. With such a raw and powerful sound it quickly makes and impact on the listener, but we feel that it’s somewhat sub-par compared to their songs in “Ortus”. However, this track does set the tone for the following aural assaults that will shake you out of your seat.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Nidingr – Wolf Father (2011)

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    Underground Black Metal outfit Nidingr is ready to come out of their caves and blow people away with their second full-length release “Wolf Father”. Featuring Black Metal ‘super stars’ Teloch (ex-Gorgoroth, etc) and Blargh (Dødheimsgard) handling the guitars, Hellhammer (Mayhem, Arcturus, etc) on drums, and some dude nicknamed Cpt. Estrella Grasa on vocals.

    With such an impressive line-up of musicians, “Wolf Father’ plays out to be an excellent release that features the Scandinavian way of making Black Metal with some Death Metal influences. Each song is crafted around super tight drumming and intricate guitar riffing allowing Nidingr to sound cold and harsh, but still clear enough to distinguish every detail in the music.

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    Ion – Immaculada (2011)

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    Following the same path that Duncan Patterson forged for himself with his side-project Íon and their first release “Madre, Protégenos”, “Immaculada” brings to the listener a hefty dose of World/Ethnic music with Celtic and Folk elements that will transport the listener to an ethereal world were everything seems peaceful and serene. One can quickly understand why Patterson decided to pursue his own interests after leaving Nick Moss and Antimatter to create Íon.

    Duncan Patterson in “Immacualda” once again presents us with a wide variety of musicians and singers coming together in creating a very cohesive release that delivers in every aspect and creates a very peaceful atmosphere for the duration of this album. Every instrument is clearly presented in a way that allows the listener to feel all the emotions behind them.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Stratovarius – Elysium (2011)

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    After the somewhat uninspired “Polaris”, Stratovarius delivers one of their best albums in their whole career. With “Elysium” the band takes their sound to a whole new level, combining traditional elements of their earlier sound with some progressive elements and some amazing vocal arrangements, making this album a great listening experience for fans of the bands and the genre.

    Featuring an excellent production, “Elysium” brings back memories from the past releases of the band (“Infinite” and “Elements” mainly) with a very dynamic and modern sound thanks to the skills of ‘newer’ members Matias Kupiainen and Lauri Porra. We now have some great bass guitar lines provided by Porra, and shredding wizardry courtesy of Kupianien that will make you forget that Timo Tolkki is no longer in the band.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Eloy – The Legacy Box (2010)

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    After an 11-year hiatus after the release of “Ocean 2: The Answer” Germany’s progressive rock monsters Eloy returned with “Visionary” in 2009. Taking advantage of the new found momentum this legendary band has gained, Frank Bornemann (the only remaining original member of the band) and company have put out the double-DVD “The Legacy Box”.

    In this new DVD we get a great documentary that takes the band release by release and talks about the things behind the scenes for the band’s iconic releases through the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. We get interviews with past members and their thoughts behind the direction of the albums, the music, and the state of the band through each release. During this 90+ minute “Mighty Echoes – The story of Eloy” documentary, we get great insight into the band’s career and if you didn’t knew anything about them you will almost become an expert on the band.

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