Rock

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    Autumn – Cold Comfort (2011)

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    After dabbling into more ‘mainstream friendly’ lands with their previous release “Altitude”, Autumn returns to the darker side of things with the highly emotional “Cold Comfort”. In this new release the band delivers nine beautifully crafted melodies that nicely combine Progressive Rock elements with more traditional Rock influences under a very melancholic atmosphere that had us completely hooked into the album since the first track.

    The band’s vocalist Marjan Welman seems more integrated into the band’s sound and her sultry voice fits perfectly into the darker and more melancholic mood of this release than on the band’s previous ‘pop-goth’ release from 2009. Every song in “Cold Comfort” features a nice Progressive Rock/ Melancholic Rock blend of sounds, something like The Gathering with Anneke but in a less experimental way.

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    Svarti Loghin – Sea of Green (2011)

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    Blowing past the boundaries of Depressive Black Metal and ending up on the Alternative Rock side of things, today we have Svarti Loghin and their latest skillful release “Sea of Green”. The band since their last release “Drifting Through the Void” was showing extreme signs of moving away from BM, and on this latest release they complete the transition.

    Evoking elements from Alternative Rock to Grunge, “Sea of Green” features five very interesting tracks that need your complete open-mindedness or you will completely hate this release. The depressive vibe of the band is totally present in this release; this is excellent since the band has a very unique sound. However, you will have to deal with almost no Metal elements, and a very mellow and ‘alternative’ approach to things.

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    Grey Waters – Below the Ever Setting Sun (2010)

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    Coming highly recommended by some of our friends, we finally had time to check out Grey Water’s EP from 2010 titled “Below the Ever Setting Sun” and we were pretty impressed with what we heard. Playing highly emotional Depressive Rock, Grey Waters blow the listener away with soaring vocals and powerful guitars that deliver a very melancholic feeling all through the five songs presented in this release.

    After the intro track, “Say Goodbye” immediately reminded us of a modern sounding Decorayah, since the band creates a very powerful atmosphere and the vocals are a bit similar to Decorayah’s dramatic singing. The atmospheric passage in this song that leads to some harsh vocals is perfectly crafted, allowing the song to nicely flow. Next up we have “Below the Ever Setting Sun”, another very effective and melancholic track. This track has some nice Post-Rock/Metal hints that enrich the sound nicely, adding to the overall atmosphere created by the band.

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    Lonely Kamel – Dust Devil (2011)

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    Is there something in the water? Or are too many people having drugs and Jim Beam infused benders and then decided to play Southern Rock music? We quite can’t point a finger at it, but tons of bands have decided to play this kind of music with some Metal elements. Lonely Kamel is the next entry in this list, and while hailing from Norway, they still manage to pull it off very nicely.

    Since the eloquently titled “Grim Reefer” opening track, the band delivers waves of Southern Rock/Sludge guitar riffs and very engaging vocals. The raspy vocals nicely fit the sound of the music perfectly and remind us of bands like The New Black, Black River, and Chrome Division. “Evil Man”, “Blues for the Dead”, and “Rotten Seed” all keep the same trend of punchy music and witty lyrics, allowing the album to nicely settle following a particular groove.

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    Acelsia – Quietude (2011)

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    Making its way from Norway to our little corner of the world, today we have Acelsia’s latest EP titled “Quietude”. In this four-song EP the band shows their very effective approach to mixing Gothic and Doom Metal influences with some hints of Rock. Lead by the enchanting vocals of Malene Markussen, the band delivers 18 minutes of pure melancholic music that will move you one way or another.

    Opening with powerful riffs on “All these Years”, the band nicely transitions with enchanting female vocals and well constructed Doom-like riffs. While the band’s sound is not fully depressive or as down-tempo as regular Gothic Doom, you can still feel the melancholy behind the hearfelt songs presented in this release. “Happiness Prevails” opens with some weaping guitars and quickly transforms, this skill is probably Acelsia’s most interesting feature since the songs morph from one direction to another very seamlessly and effectively.

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    Mystons – 3 (2011)

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    Almost one year since the release of the very solid “Alkaem”, Mystons returns with another nine hard-hitting songs that quickly show that their last album’s success was no fluke and they mean serious business. Dropping one band member, Mystons delivers a very powerful album that feels a bit more consolidated than the first one, and is full of catchy riffs and appealing vocals.

    Funneling a White Stripes vibe, the album opens with “Mammoth” and “Mourning Sky”, the second song in particular seems to have a very familiar riff that will surely be quickly identified by the listeners. In this two songs you can hear the traditional Mystons sound, but with a bit more of direction. The album’s catchiness continues and with “CrusHer”, we find a very hard-rocking song that immediately sticks in your head.

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    Oyabun – Gods and Dogs (2010)

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    Hailing from France, today we have Oyabun and their very entertaining release “Gods and Dogs”. The band’s sound is a mixture of 70’s Rock with some psychedelic elements, Stoner Rock influences, and some Blues. All of these influences are nicely packaged into seven songs that while not extremely original, they are very catchy and well crafted.

    Opening with “Brontosaurus Blues”, the band gives a full view of what it is to come in this release: catchy and groovy guitar riffs, some Stoner/Sludge influences and very retro-sounding vocals. While many bands try to emulate the Psychedelic Rock influences, Onyabun sounds very naturally at it, and does not care too much about focusing on the ‘occult’ side of things.

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    Forgotten Tomb – Under Saturn Retrograde (2011)

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    After gives us four very bleak and depressive first full-length releases, Forgotten Tomb returns with an equally melancholic release but with a different sonic effect under the name of “Under Saturn Retrograde”. In this album the band moves forward to lands charted by Agalloch, Fen, etc. and creates a very rich listening experience while maintaining some of the dark emotions from the past.

    The opener track “Reject Existence” is both brutal (great harsh vocals) and very melodic due to the majestic guitars and overall pace of the song. The band is not slowing down, and you can hear their earlier influences but they are now polishing their sound in a very interesting way. “Shutter” starts off very aggressive but near the middle of the track the experimentation begins and there are some excellent Doom Metal inspired sections.

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    Chrome Division – 3rd Round Knockout (2011)

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    Featuring a new vocalist (the guy from Susperia) and a different sound (mainly Southern Rock influences), we have Chrome Division and their third full-length release “3rd Round Knockout”. Featuring Shagrath on guitars, this band has gained momentum with their first two releases and their combination of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock elements. However, we foresee some difficulties in their future due to their sudden change of musical style and change of vocalist.

    While the ‘Southern’ Chrome Division is not bad, it is also leap years behind bands like The New Black and similar others. “3rd Round Knockout” features 10 very catchy songs that do get a bit repetitive and dull after the first five. Shady Blue has an interesting voice, but it is not rough enough for this kind of music.

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    Death Wolf – Death Wolf (2011)

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    Formed in 2000 by Marduk guitarist Morgan Hakansson under the name Devils Whorehouse; the band has rebirthed themselves in 2011 into Death Wolf that is a harder, thrashier and more aggressive outfit. While there is still some heavy Glen Danzig influence hanging over, it seems like vocalist Maelstrom has come into his own with more intensity and passion.

    The opener “Circle of Abomination” comes ripping in with a combination of thrash and Misfit-style punk. The vocals are gritty and Makko’s guitar riffing is brutal while Hrafn comes in with some complex drum work. A little over a minute in the track slows down to a chugging rhythm with a searing guitar solo in the background. “The Other Hell” opens with a nice melodic riff and is a bit different as far as the tempo goes. I would call this southern doom metal if I had to call it anything. This is one of the tracks where you will hear Maelstrom sound the most like Mr. Danzig.

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