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.

Greatly improving since their 2013 demo, today we have Finland’s Torchia and their killer Melodic Death Metal with some Thrash elements. We love watching bands evolve over time and Torchia is the perfect example of a solid transition and evolution into a very promising new band. Featuring three songs filled with melodic passages and killer production, this is one of the best demos we have received in 2015.

Opening with the demo title track, the band instantly sets a very upbeat tempo with catchy guitar riffs and a very melodic vibe. This song has that Finish Melodic Death Metal sound engraved into its core, and we love it. The guitar solos are amazing and pair perfectly with the massive drumming we can appreciate in this release.

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.

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.

Industrial Black Metal is one of those genres that are quite hard to get right. Mysticum and Diabolos Rising did a great job igniting the flame, and others like Aborym, Diabolicum, and Malignant Eternal took good stabs at the genre, more than a few years ago. Fast-forward to 2015 and we finally have a promising band in this genre: Pavillon Rouge. Filled with over 47 minutes of devilish catchy beats and sickening soundscapes “Legio Axis Ka” marks the band’s sophomore release.

The album opens with the blistering “Prisme vers l'Odysée”, a track that sets a very dreamy and yet crushing atmosphere that is very well contrasted by the harsh vocals of Kra Cillag. The album’s atmosphere continues to grow with psychotic tracks like the awesome “A l'Univers”, and the aggressive “L'enfer se souvient, l'enfer sait”. For others looking for catchy and more ‘techno’ stuff, “Droge Macht Frei” reminded us of Turmion Kätilöt and their Industrial Metal.

After blowing us away with their music in 2011, Austria’s Illuminata returns with yet another Gothic/Symphonic Metal masterpiece with their third full-length album “Where Stories Unfold”. Using a 60-piece orchestra and two different choirs, the band bets big on their music and delivers around 60 minutes of brilliant music that will impress any fan of the genre.

Crafting a very dramatic opening with “A Story Unfolds”, the lush orchestrations and very cinematic music instantly catches our attention. With the real opener, “Eternity of Today” the band shows that their core sound has greatly evolved and delivers a magical Gothic Metal track filled with astonishing arrangements and the hypnotic vocals of Katarzyna Nieniewska.

Delivering a Thrash-tastic sophomore release, today we have Denmak’s Impalers with “God from the Machine”. Featuring over 45 minutes of frantic Thrash Metal, this band nicely sets themselves apart from the countless other Thrash ‘revival’ bands by adding some cool melodic elements into their music.

Opening with the relentless “Future Void”, we are treated to some solid old-school Thrash with a certain European vibe. Filled with attitude and relentless riffing, the band makes this opener quite intense. The melodic elements start appearing as tracks like “God from the Machine” and “Prepare for War” start to wind down. Filling the album with blistering guitar leads, Thomas Carnell does a pretty solid job in epic songs like “Beyond Trinity” and “Destroy the Meek”.

As one of the most awaited releases from 2015 (at least for us), today we have Sabbath Assembly and their eponymous fourth release. Moving away from the Process Church theme and influences, the band delivers nine tracks that feature a very distinctive sound that they are now calling 100% their own. For fans of their older style, this will need an expectation adjustment, but the band nicely delivers an unique (but different) experience.

Opening with the angry “Risen From Below”, the band has a very nightmarish style rooted on trippy percussions and the deep vocals of Jamie Myers. The band’s catchiness and ability to create a dark atmosphere is still present in tracks like “Confessing a Murder” and “Ave Satanas”, but they spice it up with a heavy bass guitar line and solid guitar leads.