Arriving from Sweden, today we have Metalcore outfit Lost Seconds and their superbly crafted debut EP release titled “A Place to Start”. Featuring five songs, this album weaves back and forth between aggressive vocals and incisive riffs to melodic passage and soaring vocal melodies. With a good emphasis on melody, this EP stands out thanks to the traditional Gothenburg melodic Metal influences baked in with the rest of the band’s sound.

Opening with the lush “Reflections”, the band takes a few minutes to set the stage with a very Prog Rock opening that slowly evolves into heavier territories. The mixture of harsh and clean vocals is done quite well, infusing raw emotions into this solid track. Perfectly shining with some glorious Gothenburg melodic Metal influences, tracks like “Sirens’ Song” and “Silent” deliver a good blend of melody and aggression, keeping the album fresh and fast paced.

The most epic band in the world returns with a very good live album that gives the listener a small glimpse into their live performance magic. Having seen Sabaton live multiple times, the band always delivers a brilliant live set and this is excellently captured in this 2DVD/CD release. With the audio part of this release featuring 16 tracks, the listener is fully immersed into the band’s live production quality and antics.

After setting the mood with “The March to War”, the band delivers a brutal hit with an epic combo of “Ghost Division”, “To Hell and Back” and the brilliant “Carolus Rex”. The band’s live sound has always been amazing and this is perfectly captured as they deliver “No Bullets Fly” and “Resist and Bite”. While we are only treated to an audio experience on the CD, we can totally imagine Joakim running around and goofing off with his band mates as the songs are played.

As one of the most unique and odd bands of North America, The Body has made a name for itself by doing tons of unique collaboration while refining a punishing experimental Sludge/Drone sound. On their fifith full-length release “No One Deserves Happiness”, the band continues to push the boundaries of normal and delivers what they call “the grossest pop album ever”. After listening for multiple days we have to completely agree with their claim, as this is one nightmarish release that will puzzle the masses and hypnotize the illuminated ones.

Opening with the haunting “Wanderings” we get some fragile female vocals nicely contrasted by some Sludgy dissonant riffs and a very unnerving tempo. As soon as the harsh vocals come into the picture the album gets even weirder with such an extreme contrast… signature move of the band. After a little breather with the weird “Shelter is Illusory”, the band delivers a violent Drone/Noise pair of tracks with “For You” and “Hallow/Hollow” that will rattle anybody out of their seat.

Bringing back the days of Dreams of Sanity-like Gothic Metal/Rock, today we have Dark Letter and their debut EP titled “Psychomachia”. Featuring a simple yet effective approach to the genre, this young Polish outfit delivers five solid tracks filled with atmosphere and somber vocals. If you liked Gothic Metal bands from the late 90’s, this band will bring those days back to life with their 26 minutes of music.

Opening with the mysterious “Toy”, the band sets a very mellow mood when pairing keyboard arrangements with well-structured drum patterns and Beata Golińska’s singular vocal style. Her style is a bit more firm and natural sounding than most actual female leads of the genre, giving the songs enough power and firmness to sound dark and not too sweet. The playfulness of tracks like “Romasanta” allows the listener to enjoy multiple facets of the band’s musical skills.

Hailing from Sweden today we have Hyperion’s brilliant debut full-length release “Seraphical Euphony”. Feeling like it was trapped on a time capsule for over 10 years, this highly melodic and catchy release features a melodic Death/Black Metal sound from the 90’s. Perfectly packaged with all the technological advances of our current time, this album is one very unique sounding release in a sea of clones and bands trying too hard to sound ‘vintage’.

After the acoustic building up “Remnants of the Fallen”, “Novus Ordo Seclorum” is a brilliant guitar-led piece that instantly reminded us of Dissection and their legendary “Storm of the Light's Bane”. With a timeless guitar sound, tracks like “Flacellum Dei”, “Seraphical Euphony” and the dramatic “Moral Evasion” really hit that old-school spot, but at the same time combine more atmospheric elements of period bands like Dismal Euphony. We particularly enjoy how this last track evolves after an atmospheric opening and leads into balls to the wall headbanging passages.

Hailing from the UK and arriving trough Eternal Death records, today we have a very entertaining 7” release from The Wolves of Avalon. Fronted by none other than Metatron of The Meads of Asphodel fame, this band plays a mean Pagan/Black Metal that invokes some similarities to the likes of Primordial. Featuring two songs, this release is quite entertaining and a must-have for die-hard collectors of vinyl.

Opening on side A with the “Die Hard” cover, the band perfectly captures the old-school Thrash/Black Metal sound of Venom. Adding the special participation of vocalists Rob Miller (Amebix), Alan Averill (Primordial), Mirai (Sigh), and Mantas doing some vocals and also handling some guitars, this cover is an excellent modern version of the original classic.

Making Black Metal trippy with their Doom/Psychedelic influences, Oranssi Pazuzu returns with another brilliant deconstruction of the genre in “Värähtelijä”. Delivering over 60 minutes of madness, this release captures the listener’s attention and imagination since its first riff and never lets go. If you are a fan of the unconventional, this is an album you can’t miss.

The release slowly opens with the atmospheric piece “Saturaatio” that presents us with a powerful guitar onslaught and some trippy keys. The harsh vocals suddenly appear to add an extra level of heaviness to an already very crafty song. Changing the mood into darker and more sinister territories, “Lahja” features a very hypnotic tempo. This track while different than the opener, continues the underlying dark and mysterious atmosphere of this release.

Being the most anticipated 2016 release at Infernal Masquerade, we have been sitting on writing this review for a few weeks to fully digest and process this album. Hailing from Germany, Todtgelichter started playing somewhat straightforward Black Metal until they started experimenting with other influences since their 2010 release “Angst”. From that release and to these days, the band has managed to craft a very unique blend of experimental/Avant-garde Black Metal that is completely disarming and emotionally raw. If you liked the band’s last two releases, you will be in for a treat with this one.

The album opens with the emotionally charged “Ghost” and its brilliant atmospheric elements. This track perfectly contrasts harsh and clean vocals while slowly building up the tempo with intricate drumming and lush atmospheric details. Continuing the emotional rollercoaster, the rawness of the opening of “Scherin” nicely transforms with all-out Post-Rock/Shoegazey melodic passages perfectly adorned by Marta’s iconic voice. This is one of the band’s best tracks to date due to the perfect contrast of heavy and melodic elements.

Out now on Russian label Haarbn Productions, today we have Narjahanam and their sophomore release “Wa Ma Khufiya Kana A’atham”. This two man beast of a band hails from Baharain and crafts some seriously atmospheric Middle-Eastern themed Black/Death Metal, rivaling acts like Melechesh and AlNamrood. We are quite impressed with the quality behind this this release and how it engages the listener with its lush atmospheric undertones.

Building a very dramatic momentum with the opener album titled track, they set a very mysterious shroud around this whole release thanks to their atmospheric arrangements. Quickly establishing their band’s power, Mardus and Busca, craft very melodic tracks like “Kahf Al Khulood” and “Qudoom Al Sultan” keeping the listener engaged while still processing their unique sound.

During the last few years Svart Records has been introducing to the world countless bands in the Psychedelic Rock/Doom realm and High Priest of Saturn is another hidden gem they managed to uncover. Hailing from Norway, this four piece outfit has a very warm and fuzzy retro sound that allows them to deliver extremely well crafted songs that will put the listener into a trance.

Opening with the psychedelic “Aeolian Dunes”, we get a hefty dosage of ripping Doom riffs courtesy of band’s mastermind Martin Sivertsen. What caught our attention instantly is the enigmatic voice of Merethe Heggset, which handles the bass guitar as well. Her vocals remind us of a more centered version of Jex Thoth. This 10 minute opener piece is the perfect mood setter for the musical journey that unfolds with this release.