Album Reviews

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    Symphony X – Underworld (2015)

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    The legendary Symphony X has returned with the band’s ninth full-length release titled “Underworld”. Perfectly mixing elements from the band’s extensive musical trajectory, this album further refines their musical pedigree and delivers 63 minutes of catchy and engaging music. Always being crowd pleasers, the fans will certainly not be disappointed by the continuity and level of quality the band’s music presents.

    After the traditional warm-up intro/overture, the band gets down to business with the killer “Nevermore”. Featuring a wide variety of exciting guitar leads and an extra catchy chorus section, this song is the prefect mood setting piece for such a diverse and entertaining release. The first truly epic song in this release is the dramatic “Without You”, led by Russell Allen’s charismatic vocals; this is a very memorable epic-feeling track.

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    Embrional – The Devil Inside (2015)

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    Delivering waves of neck-breaking Death Metal, today we have Embrional and their crushing sophomore release “The Devil Inside”. Hailing from Poland, this three man outfit produces some of the most clinical and hateful Death Metal we have heard in a while. Forget about all that virtuoso Tech Death stuff, this is exactly what dreams of brutality are made from, and we have around 43 minutes of it.

    Stepping up to the plate with the demolishing drumming of “Evil's Mucus”, the band makes an instant splash thanks to their raw power. Nothing extremely fancy, but high on surgical precision, this band produces piercing moshing moments like nobody’s business and tracks like “The Abyss” and “Funeral March” are perfect examples of this. A personal favorite is the decadent “In Darkness”, a piece that punishes the listener with Kamil’s inhuman double kick skills.

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    Powerwolf – Blessed & Possessed (2015)

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    All the way from Germany, today we have Powerwolf and their sixth full-length release “Blessed & Possessed”. As one of the catchiest Power Metal bands in the world, the wolves return with another epic album filled with bombastic elements and their signature over-the-top antics. Only improving on their legacy, the band continues their musical onslaught with 11 brilliant tracks.

    Setting the stage for a truly epic musical experience, “Blessed & Possessed” opens this release with crushing vocal arrangements and powerful guitar riffs. The band’s clean cut and well defined Power Metal foundations allows them to fully engage the listeners with epic songs. Attila Dorn’s vocal talents are only comparable to Joakim Brodén, meaning they are extremely amazing and very well exploited on tracks like “Dead Until Dark”. With such a charismatic presence and powerful range, tracks like “Army of the Night” are truly an amazing experience.

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    Naïve – Altra (2015)

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    Arriving from France, today we have a very interesting and different release titled “Altra” from a band called Naïve. Mixing Progressive Rock/Metal influences with some trip-hop, shoegaze, and tons of electronic elements, they manage to create a very unique and dramatic cinematic experience in this album. Being more of the commercial-friendly spectrum of things, this release is quite mellow and perfectly enjoyable on a rainy day.

    Opening with the playful “Elevate/Levitate”, we are instantly treated to a very well put together track that nicely navigates through multiple moods and different soundscapes. With every track featuring soaring vocals and powerful guitars, this French trio has developed a very unique and solid formula to deliver high-quality songs like “Yshbel” and the excellent “Mother Russia” to name a few.

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    Luna – On the Other Side of Life (2015)

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    Unleashing over 50 minutes of crushing Symphonic/Atmospheric Funeral Doom Metal, today we have Luna and their latest opus “On the Other Side of Life”. Hailing from Ukraine, this one man show delivers waves of brilliant atmospheric passages filled with crushing Doom riffs and proficient tempo changes.

    The first part of this release comes under the 21-minute long “Grey Heaven Fall”, a highly atmospheric piece that nicely sets the mood. While there are not vocals in this release, the heavy riffs and powerful ambiance makes you forget about this and allow you to enjoy the release without even noticing.

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    Cradle of Filth – Hammer of the Witches (2015)

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    As one of the biggest surprises of 2015, today we have the infamous Cradle of Filth and their 12th full-length release “Hammer of the Witches”. Bringing us back to when the band was turning heads left and right with their “Dusk and Her Embrace” and “Cruelty and the Beast” releases, this is by far the best release from them in over 10 years. Delivering 11 punishing tracks of lush Symphonic Black Metal we are sure that most old fans of the band will come flocking back to them.

    After the warm-up intro, things are blown wide open with the intense drumming of “Yours Immortally…”, courtesy of Martin Škaroupka coming quite close to the glory days of the band with Nick Barker. The mood is as magical as on “Cruelty and the Beast” with crushing tempo changes and the howling of Dani Filth. The band finally got back to their mojo of crafting songs with tons of tempo changes and perfect combinations of howls, growls and clean male and female vocals as in “Enshrined in Crematoria” and “Deflowering the Maidenhead, Displeasuring the Goddess” (one of our favorites).

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    Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody – Prometheus – Symphonia Ignis Divinus (2015)

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    Delivering one of the most bombastic and ridiculously epic releases of 2015, today we have Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody with “Prometheus”. Vastly improving over their 2012 “Ascending to Infinity” the band elevates its game to reach new heights in terms of lush cinematic experiences. If you could imagine Therion paired with Blind Guardian and old Stratovarius, that is exactly what this album sounds like.   

    Building a very dramatic opening with “Il Cigno Nero”, the band’s signature intense tempo and theatrical vibe is felt instantly through Alessandro Conti’s vocals and Luca Turilli’s talented musical composition skills. The extreme usage of orchestrations and choir arrangements greatly pays off on tracks like “Anahata”, the dramatic “One Ring to Rule them All”, and the majestic “Prometheus”. The basic Power Metal core aspect of the band’s sound is kept very tidy through Alex Landenburg’s drumming and Patrice Guers’s bass guitar lines.

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    The Hillinoise – My Sleeping Butterfly (2015)

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    Arriving from Italy, today we have newcomers The Hillinoise and their superbly enjoyable EP “My Sleeping Butterfly”. Fusing elements from bands like The Gathering, The 3rd and the Mortal, early Xandria and even some Slowdive influences, the band delivers three excellent tracks filled with melancholy.

    The release starts with the mellow “Lighter”, a very melancholic piece that has some touches of early The Gathering meets Sylvaine. The vocals of Dana Stefanelli are quite innocent sounding, giving the music that certain sense of bleakness that we greatly appreciate. However, it is the pulsating bass guitar line that shines though out the release, in particular “Nymphetamine”.

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    Evolvent – Whatever Happens (2015)

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    Arriving from France this week we have Evolvent and their sophomore release “Whatever Happens”. Catering to fans of Visions of Atlantis, Trail of Tears and Voices of Destiny, this band delivers ten excellent tracks that are quite enjoyable thanks to their commanding female vocals and creative song structures.

    Immediately after the intro we have the superbly catchy “Win or Die”, a song that showcases Emma Elvaston’s talents and the band’s knack for atmospheric compositions. As things progress to catchier and craftier songs like “Hurricane” and “Love Doesn’t Love Me”, the band shows their versatility with solid riffs and very precise drumming, with some growls thrown into the mix.

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    Amestigon – Thier (2015)

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    Hailing from Austria, today we have Amestigon and their soul crushing sophomore release “Thier”. Featuring almost one full hour of music divided in four tracks, this release delivers waves of old-school Black Metal packaged between atmospheric passages that nicely create a very oppressive vibe.

    Slowly warming up with “Demiurg”, we are treated to demoralizing riffs and hellish vocals. The combination of some clean chants nicely allows this track to be extremely eerie. The band’s raw and old-school Black Metal is very effective and brings back memories of bands like Horna meets old Satyricon. Stepping things up, “358” features a pulsating bass guitar line and in some part, higher intensity moments than on the first piece. The atmosphere is again nicely worked into the song, allowing it to change the direction of the music at any given time.

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