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    Empire of the Scourged – Transcend Into Oblivion (2013)

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    Hailing form the Netherlands, today we have a very strange collective named Empire of the Scourged. Mixing Death Metal with Industrial elements, this band delivers their debut EP “Transcend Into Oblivion”. Featuring five tracks of deranged music filled with punishing Death Metal riffs and crazy electronic elements, this release will push your senses to the max.

    The EP opens with the punishing “Der Wanderer über dem Nebelsee” mixing powerful DM growls and riffs, all packaged into weird electronic atmospheric elements. There is also a very present melodic vibe to the riffs allowing them to be more accessible.  Things get heated up with the playful “Hollow Machinations of the Foul Spirited”, a track that reminded us of bands like Shade Empire in their heyday. Here you notice a bit of a disconnect between the atmospheric elements and the traditional instrumentation/vocals. While this sounds odd, it also gives that uniqueness to the band’s sound.

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    Toumaï - Sapiens Demens (2013)

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    Packaged in a beautiful digipack with killer artwork, today we have France’s Toumaï and their entirely insane “Sapiens Demens”. With equal levels of awesomeness to the band’s insane sound, this release presents nine tracks of experimental music combining everything from Groove Metal, Jazz, Fusion, to some Ska and other crazy elements. We are always looking for bands that push the envelope and this one takes it 100 steps further than your normal band.

    With the elegant opener “Little Psycho”, the band slowly starts to peel the layers of their extremely experimental sound with jazzy pianos and cool vocal arrangements. This track gave us a Diablo Swing Orchestra vibe but with even more levels of madness and experimentation. The first mega-catchy song in this release comes under the name of “Madness In Mind”, a song that is quite unconventional, playful, and with some brutal sections.

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    Blood Red Water - All the Ills of Mankind (2013)

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    In a world mostly filled with harry odd looking dudes as drummers, today we have Italy’s Blood Red Water and their sexy female drummer Fiorica Gasparini. Delivering five tracks of gut-wrenching Sludge Metal on “All the Ills of Mankind”, this band rolls punishing riffs since the first minute and never let’s go.

    Opening with the heavy as fuck “A Ride In The Funhouse”, we are left with very slow and devastating Sludge riffs that will appease any connoisseur of the genre. The vocals are slurry and have a certain Motörhead/Southern snarl to them, nicely complementing the music. The bass guitar is quite present on “Megalophobia” as the band switches into more punishing riffs and all out headbanging brilliance.

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    In_zekT – ARTIFEX (2013)

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    Beautifully presented in a lush digipack, today we have Norway’s In_zekT and their futuristic release “ARTIFEX”. In this ten-song album, this duo delivers a punishing combination of Industrial Metal with some Avant-garde elements and dissonant Noise/Drone undertones. With a very unique and devastating sound, the band transports the listener to a decadent soundscape since the first track.

    “Strain Reactor” immediately blows the listener away with punishing vocals and psychotic electronic elements. The band reminds us a bit of acts like Aborym, Control Human Delete, and Malignant Eternal. The programmed drums are top notch and on tracks like “ARTIFEX” you can draw some comparisons to the all-mighty Mysticum. Riffing-wise, “Sub-Humanist” and “Overman” deliver the goods in brutal onslaughts. The clean vocals on this last track really separates the band from the rest and puts the in the level of acts like Sybreed.

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    Duck Explosion – Zebra Pilot (2013)

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    Hailing from France, today we have a very catchy Alternative Rock band under the very odd name Duck Explosion. On their debut EP titled “Zebra Pilot”, the band presents us four tracks of very carefully crafted and catchy Rock that will get you hyped immediately thanks to the band’s charismatic vocals and engaging song-writing.

    While not our typical cup of tea, the band really had us going since the opening track: “No Way Out”. Featuring intricate guitars and very accessible vocals, the band focuses more on creating very direct 70’s inspired rock than any other gimmicks. The level of catchiness is elevated on the pulsating “In The Inside”, a song that has a very dominant bass guitar line and excellent percussions.

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    Humanation – Demo’12 (2012)

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    Arriving from Finland, today we have Humanation and their retro Thrash/Death Metal demo. Featuring three very catchy tracks that reek of newer Carcass all over them, these songs showcase the band’s strengths in delivering crunchy music that will appeal to any fan of the genre, and will leave you wanting more.

    As the demo opens, the first track showcases the band’s riffing abilities. Without being too clean or too technical, the band gets their point across with catchy sections and hellish vocals. The snarls are very similar to Jeff Walker’s, and they make the music fit together quite well. The second song opens with a more playful approach but the band’s style is quite prevalent since the first few minutes. The drumming and percussions are quite active and very well crafted for these kinds of songs.

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    Dead Bread – Hatred Slice (2013)

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    Arriving from Poland, today we have one-man project Dead Bread and its killer Death Metal EP titled “Hatred Slice”. Featuring four tracks filled with punishing Death Metal riffs, blistering guitar solos, and a plethora of guests on vocals, this is one of the most powerful self-released EP that have found their way to our inbox in the last few months.

    Like a bag of bricks directly to the face, “Gates of Hell” opens this release with crushing riffs and brutal vocals courtesy of Janick Klausen. In this track we have Dead Bread playing a catchy and punishing Death Metal with very well-crafted guitars and an excellent guitar solo by Jacek Hiro. Not letting go of the listener, “Call Out” keeps the brutality going with tight drumming and incisive riffs.

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    From Beneath Billows – Monolith (2013)

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    Delivering six crushing blows of brilliant Post-Metal, today we have Norway’s From Beneath Billows and their latest offering: “Monolith”. With a very well defined sound and excellent composition skills, this album is one hell of a ride for any fan of the genre. Think of Neurosis, The Ocean, Thränenkind, and When Icarus Falls and you will get the perfect picture of what to expect from this very promising Norwegian band.

    Opening with the moody “One Death and the Kings”, this track greatly rewards patience with a very suspenseful progression. Once the guitars get more aggressive and the screams make their appearance, the listener is already fully immersed in the band’s expansive sound. Throwing in some melancholic clean vocals into the mix, From Beneath Billows really captures the vibe of Post-Metal in their own signature sound, as you can immediately find out on “Verity”.

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    Insect Ark – Long Arms (2013)

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    Getting tons of submissions online every week, it is quite unusual to find unique releases that command our attention like Insect Ark’s “Long Arms” EP. This one-woman entity delivers three tracks that have Ambient, Electro, and some Drone-ish elements meshed together in one very cohesive sound. A bit out of our comfort zone, we found ourselves enjoying this release more than we expected.

    Opening with the hypnotic “Long Arms”, the release starts in a very ritualistic fashion. There are plenty of trippy elements to make anybody’s drug induced hallucinations 100 times more vivid. Dana Schechter does a great job in putting together interesting percussions, dissonant bass guitar lines, and interesting electronic sounds. “Lift Off” continues in a hypnotic fashion, letting the listener know that this is one album he will not forget thanks to its dramatic and pseudo-psychedelic elements.

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    Natan – Às (2013)

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    Going in the stack of ‘why the hell is this band not signed yet’ promos, today we have Belgiums Natan and their sophomore release “Às”. With over 45 minutes of a very unique blend of Pagan Metal, Black Metal, and tons of Avant-garde influences, this release is one of the few that immediately caught our attention and we have been listening to it non-stop. Having a bit of everything for everybody, this band has a truly unique style that is impressively well-crafted.

    Opening with a bang, “Asch” immediately reminds us of Greece’s Aenaon and their very crafty music. The riffing is quite funky and the vocals very harsh, giving a very unique and somewhat progressive vibe to the music. The addition of the clean vocals really gives the band an extra dimension that your average band usually lacks. The intense “Ride Out!” gives us very cool tempo changes and powerful riffs constructed in a very unique and progressive way, reminding us of Enslaved at points.

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