Featuring a very unique combination of almost every genre in metal, minus all the ‘heavier’ ones, France’s Eltharia delivers their sophomore release “Innocent”. Delivering 11 songs filled with memorable moments and solid musicianship, this band has been around since 2001 and only released two full-length releases in the process. Luckily, all this experience translates in a very solid and well-crafted release that has high replay value.

Opening with the Power Metal anthem “Third World War”, the band sets a pretty high bar for this release. Moving into more Progressive territories, “Spite Still Remains” gives us a very interesting mixture of soaring clean vocals and growls in a Stratovarius-like environment. The band’s ability to mix styles is quite good as they produce some very memorable tracks, such as the epic album title track “Innocent” and its excellent guitar leads.

Mixing violent Black Metal outburst with a hefty dosage of Melancholy, today we have Italy’s Kaiserreich and their third full-length release “Cuore Nero”. Achieving some intense levels of brutality, this band’s music is testament to the very intricate balance of aggression and melancholy that only a handful of bands can gracefully achieve. Recommended for fans of Der Weg einer Freiheit and Wiegedood.

Opening with the brutal “Unico Sole”, the band immediately unleashes a barrage of riffs and very well crafted drums that weave back and forth between total aggression and melancholy. Reminding us of Horna and older Satyricon, the band pummels through tracks like “Senza Luce”, “Ombra Infanta” and the melancholic “Vuoto Assoluto”. The vocals are just perfect for this release as they are harsh and firm with a very consistent pitch.

Arriving from Portugal, today we have Hourswill and their debut full-length release “Inevitable”. Playing Progressive Metal, this band has good command of the genre but they are still missing a signature sound that makes them stand out from the rest. If you like bands like Symphony X and Leprous, Hourswill will be to your liking.

After an initial intro track, the band fully comes to life with the catchy “Vows of Submission”, a very proficient track filled with solid guitars and soaring vocals. As “Inevitable Collapse” and “Dead End Memory” roll by, the band combines some growls into their music to make it more diverse, but they ultimately fall second place to the Progressive vibe of the music. There are also some riffs that are more along the lines of Modern Metal outfits, but they also feel a bit out of place.

Dutch Black Metal is not something you hear every day; however, today we have Wederganger and their demoralizing debut full-length “Halfvergaan ontwaakt”. Featuring eight tracks of punishing Black Metal that has influences from the Norwegian, the Swedish and even the Latin American scenes, all bundled into one destructive wall of sound. Formed in 2013, this is one of the revelation BM bands of 2015, so be warned.

Opening with the crushing dissonance of “Dwaallichtbezwering”, the bone chilling riffs are nicely offset by the hellish vocals of Botmuyl perfectly combined with the clean efforts of Alfschijn (ex-Heidevolk). The band’s vocal variety just adds an extra layer of originality to a very powerful mixture of BM styles. “Gelderse drek” leads with some very Taake-esque riffs that will infuse instant head banging.

Niche Black Metal label Eternal Death has released some of the foulest and totally crushing US Black Metal in the last few years and One Master’s “Reclusive Blasphemy” is certainly one of them. Delivering five tracks and around 35 minutes of ravaging music, the band showcases their raw and misanthropic Black Metal.

Opening with the punishing “At the Hour of Saturn”, the band’s wall of sound is instantly generated by thick riffs and piercing drums. With such a furious pace, this release is off to a hate-filled start. The Immortal-esque closing in this song makes it pretty epic for any fan of Melodic-ish Black Metal. Moving into more sinister territories, “A Cursed and Dismal Mind” creates a very creepy opening that suddenly blast into full-on war.

Catching our attention with their viral marketing campaign that labels Cretus as something more than a band, a cult, we decided to give “Dux Mea Lux” a try. Featuring a very plain and unimaginative Thrash Metal sound with some cleaner and more mainstream elements, the band fails to live up to the hype with their average music and very repetitive nature.

Opening with the playful “Price of Immortality”, the band’s novelty quickly wears off. This track is pretty bland and while amusing for a few minutes, it can easily go unnoticed by any fan of the genre. “Darkness Bites” is the best track in this release as it gets you going with its hectic opening and catchy hooks. Other songs like “The Leader” have a certain twangy feeling to them, something that could have been easily exploited in this release to make it more unique.

While constantly looking for interesting and unique bands, today we have [STÖMB] and their very interesting mixture of Post-Metal, Post-Rock, groove Metal, and some trip-hop influences. Featuring ten tracks of mostly instrumental music, “The Grey” is a very ambitious release that showcases the band’s originality and solid musicianship.

Opening with the trippy “The Complex”, the release weaves back and forth between Post-Metal and Groove Metal, with some atmospheric elements thrown into the mix. This is the band’s modus operandi as tracks like “Rise from Nothing”, “Corrosion Juncture”, and “Terminal City” standout with a similar approach. The band’s creativity is also their weakness as the album feels a bit random and just a collection of tracks with no real aim.

Hailing from France, today we have A.C.O.D and their Melodic-ish Death Metal release “II The Maelstrom”. Delivering thirteen tracks of a very health mix of traditional Death Metal with some more modern and Melodic elements, this band sounds like a bastard child of Grave and Kalmah. We are constantly amazed at the quality of bands that are coming out of France, and this is another one of the good ones.

The band opens with the groovy “Another Path” before settling for a more Thrash-infused Death Metal sound in “Way of Death”, and then jumping into Melo-Death land with “Abuse Me”. This is the narrative in this release as the band slowly weaves back and forth from Melodic, to Thrashy, to old-school Death Metal, actually pulling it off gracefully and very cohesively.

Constantly evolving over the years, Hanging Garden returns with a very atmospheric release titled “Blackout Whiteout”. Featuring nice tracks of pure melancholy, the band manages to combine elements from Theatre of Tragedy (“Aegis” era), Anathema (their transition period), Katatonia (their more recent stuff) and throw in some Cure/ShamRain elements just for kicks. This release still keeps the growls in the mix, allowing the album to be harsh and brutal when needed, but it is mostly very melancholic and mellow.

Opening with the enticing “Borrowed Eyes”, we are instantly swept by Toni Toivonen’s moody clean and harsh vocals. This track also pulls you in with its subtle bass guitar line and keyboards. The band is always in motion and the very Cure-like rocking anthem “Whiteout” further shows their evolution since the band’s harsh and bleak Death/Doom days from “Inherit the Eden”. However, the depressive atmosphere is still present in a very unique and refined way.

Hailing from France, today we have a very unique band that pushes the limits of Post-Metal, Post-Hardcore and Math Metal, creating a very unique and devastating mixture. Nerv delivers seven relentless tracks in “Vergentis In Senium”. Perfectly crafted for fans of bands like Neurosis and Dysrhythmia, this is one very powerful release that will rattle your senses.

Opening with the punishing wall of riffs in “Cathars” we brace ourselves for a brutal and nihilistic release. The vocals are very similar to Neurosis and the overall sense of urge in songs like “Tortures” has a Dysrhythmia edge to it. The band does a great job in crafting complex song structures, leaving the listener puzzled and always expecting something different.