Album Reviews

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    Phantasma – The Deviant Hearts (2015)

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    Delivering twelve tracks of brilliant Symphonic Rock/Metal, today we have super group Phantasma and their debut release “The Deviant Hearts”. Featuring Delain’s Charlotte Wessels, Everon’s Oliver Philipps and Georg Neuhauser of Serenity fame, this band is one of the most ambitious outfits in this musical space. The band does not disappoint with brilliant songs and even more impressive guest appearances to round up an excellently crafted release, if you are a fan of symphonic/melodic music, you will not want to miss this one.

    Opening with the very solemn “Incomplete”, we are instantly pleased with the excellent duet of Charlotte and Georg. After starting on a dark note, the album quickly picks up with the mellow opening of “The Deviant Hearts”. Featuring Tom Englund in this bombastic song, all fans of either Delain or Evergrey will instantly geek out due to the way both singer’s vocals blend in this track. After a very Delain-ish “Runaway Gray”, the ballad “Try” greatly showcases Chloe Lowery and Dennis Schunke’s vocal talents in a very dramatic and epic way, easily one of the best tracks in this release.

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    Despite Exile – Disperse (2015)

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    Hailing from Italy, today we have Deathcore battalion Despite Exile and their latest EP titled “Disperse”. Usually not a fan of the genre, when a band commands of attention it means that the have unique elements to make them stand out from the rest. Delivering five tracks and two interludes, the band crushes the competition with a perfect balance of melody and aggression that only a handful of bands can master. While not as crushing as The Black Dahlia Murder, this band does not lag behind with excellent moshing passages and solid melodic head banging moments.

    Leading the charge with the melodic “Act I – Gaze of Leviathan”, we instantly got a certain Soilwork vibe from the first few minutes of the track. This playful and very melodic piece brilliantly weaves back and forth from all out brutality to excellent momentum-building sections. Seamleasly bleeding into “Act II – Panoptic Servant”, the band changes the pace to crushing a more typical Deathcore with funky tempo changes thanks to some killer drum patterns.

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    Wreckmeister Harmonies – Night of Your Ascension (2015)

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    Featuring over 30 musicians ranging from members of Yakuza to The Body, Wreckmester Harmonies is the brainchild of J.R. Robinson. Mixing elements of Drone, Doom, Post-Metal, and ambient into one very dense wall of sound, the collective creates haunting music that goes beyond just making crushing and punishing tracks. In this release we are presented with two monumental tracks that combined clock in around 48 minutes of sheer darkness and emotion.

    Leading the charge we have the opening 32-minute behemoth “Night of Your Ascension” which starts in a very ethereal way. The bone-chilling female angelic voices slowly lead into compelling string instrument arrangements just before it all turns completely somber with some punishing Doom riffs. This transition is handled in a very masterful way, as the tension is slowly rising. The heavier side of this track is filled with punishing riffs and some hellish screams that create a sense of urgency due to their aggressive nature.

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    Anomalie – Refugium (2015)

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    Hailing from Austria, today we have Anomalie and their sophomore release “Refugium”. Started as a one-man battalion by Marrok of Selbstentleibung and Harakiri for the Sky (live) fame, this outfit crafts a very melancholic blend of Black Metal that is very rare and extremely addictive. Traversing over 52 minutes of music, this album takes its time to fully develop and to explore its deepest and darkness corners it requires patience and understanding.

    Opening with Katatonia meets Post-Black Metal “In Fear of Tomorrow”, we are instantly hooked on the band’s very melancholic and yet intense sound. The hypnotic clean vocals will haunt you after this track is over. As “Spiritual Dimension” and “Untouched Walls” roll around, we start to notice some resemblance with bands like Agrypnie in terms of the vocals/riffing, but quickly stray away from this when the atmospheric passages go by.

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    Kaeck – Stormkult (2015)

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    Arriving from Folter records, today we have Dutch war Black Metal outfit Kaeck and their decadent debut release “Stormkult”. For fans of old-school Raw Black Metal with a traditional Dutch flair, this release delivers over 30 minutes of devastating music that will leave you uneasy for a few months.

    Opening with the highly atmospheric “De kult”, we instantly get an oldschool Satyricon/Emperor vibe thanks to the simple yet effective atmospheric elements surrounded by crushing riffs and harsh vocals. The band continues to steamroll the listener with the brutality of “De heerser wederkeet” and the sickening atmosphere of the creepy “Holenmuur”. Both tracks are very dense and deliver the right amount of aggression and eeriness in a very balanced and destructive way.

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    Narbeleth - Through Blackness and Remote Places (2015)

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    We get all kinds of bands from all the corners of the world, but it is quite rare to have one from Cuba. Today we have Cuba’s most savage and destructive Black Metal band: Narbeleth. As a one-man battalion, this band perfectly captures the punishing rawness of Scandinavian Black Metal from the late 90’s, and delivers eight brilliant tracks filled with hate and crushing riffs.

    Opening with “Sons of the Grand Cosmic Emanation”, Dakkar unleashes a bestial barrage of unholy melodic BM riffs unlike anything we have every heard before from the small Cuban island. The quality of the music is uncanny as it demolishes everything in its way with a mixture of Immortal acrobatics with the rawness of Gorgoroth. The band’s sound is quite compact and brutal, and the influences of Norwegian Taake are very present in songs like “Mesmerized by the Pale Ghost Moonlight”.

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    Shumaun – Shumaun (2015)

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    Arriving today from the USA we have Shaumaun and their progressively oriented mash up of musical styles. In their self-titled debut release, the band presents twelve very melodic tracks that are a bit contrasting from each other, but full of promise, excellent ideas and solid execution.

    The album opens with the proggy “A New Revolution”, which is a very entertaining piece that ultimately is just a warm-up for what is to come next. “Miracles of Yesterday” and “You and I Will Change the World” have a more radio-friendly and mainstream vibe, with loud rhythm guitars and solid leads. Being very catchy, this last song has some cool passages, but it also tries to incorporate too many elements, making things a bit awkward when they should have stayed simple as the track’s hook is pretty solid.

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    Dodsferd – Wastes of Life (2015)

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    In recent years we have been plagued with subpar Black Metal bands; luckily for us Dodsferd is one of the most interesting bands in the scene nicely transitioning from Depressive Black Metal to a very weird, but yet effective atmospheric Black Metal that will leave you scratching your head… in a good way. Featuring five tracks and nearly 50 minutes of music, the band continues their sonic onslaught with a very unique release titled “Wastes of Life”.

    Opening with a very traditional atmospheric piece titled “Wastes of Life”, the band picks with where they left off creating a very oppressive and eerie atmosphere. Leading the charge with some very dramatic clean guitars, “Sterile Death, Without Mourning” delivers 12 minutes of brilliant atmospheric madness. The track suddenly shifts to a very mellow tempo filled with creepy atmospheric arrangements and Wrath’s signature shrieks.

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    Beyond Light – Paintings in the Hall (2014)

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    Delivering 11 tracks of emotional Depressive Black Metal, today we have one-man band Beyond Light and their sophomore release “Paintings in the Hall”. Clocking in at around 63 minutes, this album offers us glimpses into the band’s dark world with unique songs that loosely interconnect with each other. Mostly recommended for people not afraid to experiment and look outside the box, this release will command your attention since the first minute.

    Opening with the somber “Blind But Drawing” intro, the band gets down to business with the very eerie and mysterious “Painted Memories”. The atmosphere is very well crafted, before we get to hear any vocals or fast parts, making it very effective in immersing the listeners. Depressive BM should be moody and firm, things that are perfectly embodied in “Beneath The Horizon” and “Her Broken Face”, two of the albums best tracks.

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    Amberian Dawn – Innuendo (2015)

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    Releasing nearly an album per year since 2008, today we have Amberian Dawn and their latest opus “Innuendo”. These highly productive Fins deliver ten brilliantly crafted Symphonic Power Metal tracks that will appeal both traditional Power Metal and Gothic/Symphonic Metal fans alike. Having quickly moved on from replacing their original iconic vocalist, Päivi Virkkunen vocals are a very interesting mixture of Doro-meets-Timo Kotipelto.

    Quickly opening with the intense “Fame & Gloria”, we are taking into a very balanced world of Nightwish-meets-Sonata Arctica, with the solid guitar works and Päivi’s angelic but powerful vocals. Seamlessly integrating lush atmospheric elements into the music, the band delivers songs like “Ladyhawk” and “Innuendo”, both of which will keep you headbanging from start to finish. If you like more Symphonic/Gothic Metal things, tracks like “The Court of Mirror Hall” and the ballad “Aneglique” have less dominant Power Metal vibe, but are still within the band’s comfort zone.

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