Album Reviews

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Nerv – Vergentis In Senium (2015)

    cover

    Hailing from France, today we have a very unique band that pushes the limits of Post-Metal, Post-Hardcore and Math Metal, creating a very unique and devastating mixture. Nerv delivers seven relentless tracks in “Vergentis In Senium”. Perfectly crafted for fans of bands like Neurosis and Dysrhythmia, this is one very powerful release that will rattle your senses.

    Opening with the punishing wall of riffs in “Cathars” we brace ourselves for a brutal and nihilistic release. The vocals are very similar to Neurosis and the overall sense of urge in songs like “Tortures” has a Dysrhythmia edge to it. The band does a great job in crafting complex song structures, leaving the listener puzzled and always expecting something different.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Promethee – Unrest (2015)

    cover

    Hailing from Switzerland, today we have a very unique Melodic Modern Metal band named Promethee. Mixing some of the good elements of modern Deathcore with the agility and precision of old-school Melodic Death Metal, “Unrest” delivers twelve solid tracks filled with moshing and headbanging moments. Recommended for fans of Hacride, Dagoba, Hatesphere and such, we are sure that anybody with a knack for melody and pounding riffs will find this appealing.

    Opening with the punishing riffs of “Our Common Fall”, the band quickly establishes the rich and devastating sound with very well crafted guitars and tight drums. The vocals are on the raspy side, reminding us of Hacride but the music makes us thing more of Whitechapel or TBDM. What makes Promethee unique is that they can instantly switch from pummeling riffs to blistering fast passages of Melodic brilliance as they constantly deliver on “Unspoken” and “Dark Souls”.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Deer Blood – Devolution (2015)

    cover

    Bands these days try to mesh all kinds of genres together and get pretty odd or awesome results. Unluckily for Deer Blood their mixture of Groove and Thrash Metal falls flat to expectations in “Devolution”. Featuring over 13 tracks and 58 minutes of music, this release has some interesting moments that are quickly obscured by an iffy production and a very odd mixture of styles.

    Opening with “Bushmaster” we instantly get a weird Groove/Sludge vibe that morphs into Thrash after a few minutes. The raspy vocals are oddly mixed and come out too loud for the rest of the elements to shine. The guitar riffs individually are pretty decent, and in songs like “Born Strong Live Young Die Hard Born Again” and “Trapped Inside” we have some interesting rhythmical sections and a few leads that are very Thrash-tastic, but the groove vibe manages to kill all sense of cohesion and flow.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Horna – Hengen Tulet (2015)

    cover

    The most active man in Finish Black Metal: Shatraug, returns with his main band Horna and their devastating production “Hengen Tulet”. Playing in at least seven bands, Shatraug delivers 10 tracks of pure satanic destruction in this release, showing no signs of slowing down or creativity lapses. Keeping their throne as the rawest BM band from Finland, the band does a great job in pummeling the listeners psyche with this monumental release.

    Opening with the ravaging riffing of “Amadriada”, the album kicks off with style. Spellgoth’s vocals steal the show by providing that old-school harsh screams characteristic of the band. Filled with epic head banging pieces like the bestial “Ajan päättyessä” or the moody “Nekromantia”, drummer Vainaja keeps a tight ship with a piercing performance. For those of us that enjoy the band’s senseless brutality and relentless guitar work, “Tämä maailma odottaa” and “Saatanalle” are the best pieces to get drowned in the band’s aggressive nature.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Isvind – Gud (2015)

    cover

    With Black Metal bands appearing like the plague these days, it is quite refreshing to receive a majestic album from a band that has been lurking in the shadows for many years. Norway’s Isvind has been around since 1992 (with some breaks in between), and their pedigree shows in their latest full-length release “Gud”. Delivering nine crushing songs, this is one hell of an album from start to end.

    Opening with some angelic vocals, “Flommen” sets a very ethereal mood only to flip the coin on you with some brutal BM riffs and hellish vocals. This song has a certain melodic edge that uses choirs and melodic riffs to create a very involving atmosphere. With AntiChristian of Tsjuder fame filling in on drums, the band blasts away with pummeling tracks like “Ordet” and “Himmelen”, keeping that frosty Norwegian Black Metal vibe present at all times.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Embersland – Dark Ages (2015)

    cover

    Hailing from Spain, today we have Embersland and their very catchy and well-crafted Symphonic/Gothic Metal with some Power Metal elements thrown into the mix. Featuring nine tracks and around 48 minutes of music, this release is an emotional rollercoaster filled with powerful guitars, tight drumming, and masterfully led by the vocals of Will, May and Xavi. Appealing to a wide spectrum of listeners, “Dark Ages” is one memorable release.

    Opening with the 9 minute playful piece “Sunrise (Part II)”, the band instantly showcases their evolution since their 2013 release. With more focused songwriting and more mature skills, this track features majestic vocal melodies and emotional keyboards. The band nicely keeps up the initial track’s momentum with solid songs like “Closer”, “Hope”, and the superbly catchy “WTF…Fuck Off!”, which has a killer chorus section. It is quite evident that the band is nicely maturing as their sound is very cohesive with all their elements coming together quite nicely.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Mora - Hmlisté obdobie (2015)

    cover

    Arriving all the way from Slovakia, today we have Mora, an Atmospheric Black Metal outfit with a very raw and visceral sound. In their demo “Hmlisté obdobie”, the band presents six songs of sickening raw Black Metal with creepy atmospheric elements that will haunt your dreams for weeks to come.

    Immediately after the piano intro, the band sets a very bleak and sinister mood with mid-tempo traditional BM riffs and ‘swishy’ drums. “Neviditelne zlo” is the perfect momentum builder for the band’s savage vocals that nicely appear after a few minutes of creepy music. The vocal style is quite deranged and dissonant, mixing growls with shrieks, this will leave an impression on you for the foreseeable future thanks to songs like “Mrtvolny chlad” and “Jesenna depresia”.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Amorphis – Under the Red Cloud (2015)

    cover

    Finally, the Finish Metal music legends Amorphis return with yet another stellar release. Marking their 12th studio album, “Under the Red Cloud” delivers nearly 50 minutes of majestic Melodic Metal music in their unique style. Filled with soaring vocals and killer melodic passages, this is hands down the best release of 2015.

    Opening with the lush “Under the Red Cloud”, the band sets a very melodic and folky mood, similar to a mixture of their “Elegy” days with their “Eclipse” era. Tommi Joutsen’s vocals are as amazing as ever and with even more growling sections in this release, this album reaches a whole new level of vocal aggression. This is perfectly contrasted by Santeri Kallio’s lush keyboards. Tracks like “The Four Wise Ones” and “Bad Blood” instantly showcase this heaviness with some crushing moments filled with powerful riffs and excellent percussions.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Stratovarius – Eternal (2015)

    cover

    As one of the most anticipated releases of 2015, today we have Stratovarius and their latest opus “Eternal”. Filled with over 54 minutes of music separated in ten tracks, this release nicely continues the band’s reinvention to a fresher and even more dynamic outfit since their “Polaris” release back in 2009. Featuring tons of epic tracks and led by the vocals of Timo Kotipelto, this a typical Stratovarius release that you do not want to miss.

    The band delivers the first punch with the amazing opener “May Eternal Dream”. In this very dynamic song, the band sets a very upbeat tempo and establishes a very fluid relationship between the epic guitar and keyboard solos, warning the listener they are in for a treat in this release. Timo Kotipelto vocals constantly deliver the level of performance that is expected from such a legendary singer, and on tracks like “Shine in the Dark”, “Man in the Mirror” and the ballad “Fire in Your Eyes” they gave us goose bumps since they are terrific and very well crafted into the music.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Ommatidia – Let’s Face it! (2015)

    cover

    Hailing from France, today we have the sophomore release of Gothic Metal outfit: Ommatidia. In “Let’s Face it!”, the band delivers ten songs of well-crafted Gothic Metal/Rock that moves away from their band’s more atmospheric and Doomier debut release back in 2011. Crafting a sound similar to bands like To/Die/For, HIM, and The Man Eating Tree, this band will satisfy your male-vocals Gothic Metal cravings.

    The album opens with the catchy “Immaculate” and its soaring vocals, courtesy of Guillaume Richard. This track gives us a certain The Man Eating Tree vibe, making it quite engaging and a very solid opener. As tracks like “Sunspot”, “Dark Swelling” and “Soiled” settle the listener into the band’s style; we nicely enjoy Ommatidia’s traditional emotional Gothic sound. With very organic songs like “Sleeping Black”, the band has the luxury of experimenting with additional elements to keep things heavier.

Pages

Recent Image Galleries