Pioneering Funeral Doom Metal band Skepticism finally returns with their fifth full-length release “Ordeal”. Hailing from Finland, this band alongside Thergothon are tipped to be the founders of the genre and they have releases some monumental albums over the years to keep their legend intact. With “Ordeal”, the band continues to mercilessly punish people with their melancholic sound filled with long drawn out riffs, piercing atmospheric elements, and crushing growls, for nearly 80 minutes of music.

The album immediately gets under your skin with the demoralizing “You” and its subtle atmospheric keyboards. Never wasting a moment to create the perfect atmosphere, “Momentary” has a retro Funeral Doom vibe from the late 90’s when the genre was in full swing. In terms of dramatic, “The Departure” features some of the most haunting keyboards we have heard in quite a while as they are perfectly flanked by Matti Tilaeus soul crushing growls.

Finally getting a proper physical release, today we have Italy’s Kröwnn and their debut riff parade titled “Magmafröst”. With over 45 minutes of music, this release features very Sludgy/Doomy music that will keep any fan of the genre hypnotized for the whole time. In a similar configuration to Ides of Gemini, this band features two female members (bass guitar and drums) and a male vocalist/guitarist, making this very compact lineup pack a lot of punch in terms of music.

After the typical filler intro, the band dives into some crushing Doom riffs with “Skeksis Dance”. This track instantly shows the band’s commitment to the power of the riff. The vocals are bit on whiny side, at least for us, but very fitting for such a release. The band continues to pummel through songs like “Wyvernking” and “Wölfhunt”, both of which have a certain Sludge/Stoner vibe to them.

Making 2015 even more brutal than it already is, today we have the legendary Nile returning with yet another punishing release via “What Should Not Be Unearthed”. Karl Sanders and company return with their signature Technical/Brutal Death Metal with Egyptian influences and deliver around 50 minutes of uncompromising brutality that will ravage your eardrums from start to finish.

Opening with the monumental “Call to Destruction”, the band quickly delivers the first blow of furious riffs and crushing drumming. The band is set on a path of destruction with this release being considerably more brutal than their previous one. The sound of tracks like “Negating the Abominable Coils of Apep” and the ravaging “Liber Stellae – Rubaeae”, is quite heavier and more in the Brutal Death Metal side of things when comparing it to the band’s previous release “At the Gate of Sethu”.

Every time we receive a package from Romania’s Sun & Moon Records we brace ourselves for very good and very unique releases that will make us listen to them over and over. This time is the turn for the 2015 re-release of Svoid’s debut full-length “Never to Return”. Featuring a very filthy Black Metal sound with direct influences from bands like Watain, this re-release is definitely needed as this band’s sickening music must be heard.

The album opener, “Eleven Alpha” oozes with that filthy Black’n’roll-ish playful sound that is nicely complemented by S’s harsh vocals and a vibrant bass guitar line. The band’s sound is raw and very basic, but yet manages to be extremely efficient and engaging. The percussions are quite funky at times, greatly enhancing the experience and keeping the listener engages as on tracks like “Queen of Those Below” and the sort-of Punk-ish opening of “The Pulse”, which masterfully transforms into something completely different… and awesome.

Hailing from Paris, France, today we have Industrial/Gothic Metal outfit Elyose and their sophomore release titled “Ipso Facto”. Featuring a very bombastic and crafty sound, this outfit delivers over 47 minutes of super catchy music. Led by the charismatic Justine Daaé, this is not just another clone band, as they nicely carve their own style and create very engaging music.

The album makes a quick impact with the super catchy electronic elements of “Femme De Verre” which perfectly blend with the strong vocal leads. The same high energy continues with the lush “De Guerre Lasse” and its solid guitar riffs paired with cool electronic effects. The band at this stage reminds of a mixture of Theater of Tragedy in the “Musique” days with the more modern style of Nemesea.

As the perfect blast from the past, today we have Germany’s Kadavar and their latest studio full-length release “Berlin”. Titled in homage to the city where all members of the band met, this release continues the band legacy of catchy and very authentic sounding Psychedelic/Hard Rock music. For over 11 tracks (plus one bonus cover song) the band delivers hard rocking music that will instantly grab your attention and never let got.

The album instantly makes an impact with the superbly engaging “Lord of the Sky”. In this track the trio deliver their signature fuzzy sound that has a very ‘live show’ feeling to it. Bassist Simon Bouteloup, the latest person to join the band, is fully incorporated into their style and nicely adds some killer bass guitar lines in songs like “Thousand Miles Away from Home”, “Last Living Dinosaur” and the super catchy “Filthy Illusion”. This last song has a more mainstream Rock vibe, allowing the band to reach even more people.

Keeping the groove train going, today we have Fear Factory and their latest opus “Genexus”. Having perfected their style over the years, in this release the band further refines their superbly catchy music with some more Modern Metal / Groove / Djent elements. Delivering over 50 minutes of signature Fear Factory music, this album will please any fan of albums like “Fear of a New Machine” to their later works “Mechanize”.

Setting a futuristic atmosphere with “Autonomous Combat System”, the band’s precise drumming/riffing onslaughts instantly come to light. With Dino Cazares handling all the riffing duties, the band sounds as good as ever. Pummeling through tracks like “Dielectric” and “Soul Hacker”, we notice that Burton’s vocals have a certain edge in terms of being a bit more aggressive than in some of their previous release, giving that extra level of brutality to this album.

Delivering the most brutal release of 2015, today we have Cattle Decapitation and their seventh opus “The Anthropocene Extinction”. Nearly putting Anaal Nathrakh to shame in terms of sheer brutality, this release features twelve tracks of in your face riffs, crushing vocals and inhuman drums. With over 45 minutes of devastating music, this album will leave you sore just by listening to it.

Slowly warming up with the melodic opening of “Manufactured Extinct”, the band suddenly busts out the Death Metal riffs and before you even know it, Grindcore and Brutal Death Metal elements have arrived. This level of intensity is perfectly continued by the neck snapping “The Prophets of Loss”, which features Phil Anselmo as guest vocalist. Using Author and Punisher’s intro in “Plagueborne”, the band has managed to deliver a huge opening trio of tracks that only scratch the surface in terms of brutality.

With a crushing and hypnotic mixture of Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal/Rock influences, today we have Spain’s Rosy Finch and their debut full-length release “Witchboro”. Divided into two ‘movements’, this debut release features a merciless first side and then it mellows out into a more experimental and melodic nature, showcasing the wide musical range from this very promising young trio. Filled with heavy riffs from start to end, this is one unconventional release that you should definitely check out.

Opening with the droning “Úrsula”, we get a very hearty dose of fuzzy distortion and intoxicating female lead vocals. With both Mireia Porto and Elena García contributing to the vocals, we get a richer and more diverse aural experience in this album. Focusing on delivering riffing riffs, “Hyde Formula” is one hell of a track that will make your speakers rattle thanks to its pulsating bass guitar line and solid percussions.