Album Reviews

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    September Murder - He Who Invokes Decadence (2013)

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    Germany has always been one of the best countries for Metal music to flourish over the years, with a huge scene and tons of quality bands emerging every year. Today we have September Murder and their sophomore release “He Who Invokes Decadence”. Delivering eight tracks of high quality Melodic/Progressive Death Metal, this band is ready for prime time and they have a very convincing case with this impressive release.

    The album’s opening statement is “Under Severed Skies”, an excellent track that combines heavy intricate guitar work and crushing growls. The band is in no hurry of blasting you away, opting to deliver precise blows of hyper-fast sections surrounded by excellent melodic passages. The band’s old-school Death Metal influences are clear, but they manage to clean them up with incise guitar and bass guitar work in killer tracks like “Two Culprits, One Oath” and Death-esque “Among Vultures”.

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    Entropia – Vesper (2013)

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    Hailing from Poland, today we have Entropia and their debut full-length release “Vesper”. Mixing Black Metal with some Sludge and Post-Metal elements, this band shows great promise in their six tracks spanning over 49 minutes of music. While not being overly cliché, the band nicely mixes different influences to create some interesting atmospheres in their very decently crafted sound.

    Opening with “Dante”, we get a typical Black Metal opening followed by some powerful atmospheric keyboards and some solid Sludge/Post-Metal rhythmical section. “Gauss” shows off some of the band’s more melodic side while keeping their effective riffs and very well paced drums. Things get a bit more dramatic with the harsh screams of desperation in “Pascal”, one of the best tracks in this release thanks to the very slow tempo and rawness of the song.

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    Nethermost – Alpha (2013)

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    Originally released as an independent EP, today we have Nethermost debut EP “Alpha”. Hailing from the USA, one would have never imagined this by just listening to the band’s excellent Melodic Death/Doom Metal. With clear influences of early Katatonia, October Tide and similar bands, the band delivers nearly 20 minutes of very well crafted tunes that are quite melancholic and melodic in nature.

    When researching the band we have noticed that for this release they used fake (aka programmed) drums and bass guitar, something that made us a bit skeptical about the quality of their music, but they managed to pull it off quite nicely. Opening with “Phasing Currents” we immediately hear the familiar Katatonia-esque guitar sound accompanied by raspier growls. The music is a bit raw, but works well and adds more character and melancholy to the band’s sound.

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    Pryapisme – Hyperblast Super Collider (2013)

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    Being ample connoisseurs of weird (and totally awesome) music, we are rarely surprised when it comes to the releases we get at Infernal Masquerade. However, today we are totally caught off-guard by Pryapisme and their grandiose “Hyperblast Super Collider”. Mixing 8-bit ‘nintendo’ music with an experimental blend of distorted guitars, jazzy interludes and extreme madness, the band manages to deliver one of the most unique albums of 2013.

    Immediately establishing their 8-bit worship with the totally odd cover art of a pixelated cat, the band starts very strong with the intense “Un druide est giboyeux losqu’ll se prend pour un neutrino”. Their combination of intricate drumming with crazy electronic effects works wonderfully to create an atmosphere of madness. With a Jazzy edge, “Boudin blanc et blanc boudin” keeps things very interesting with a chaotic pace.

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    Lycanthia – Oligarchy (2013)

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    Being huge fans of Gothic Death/Doom Metal, it is quite a treat when we get promos from bands like Lycanthia that keep the genre alive and give it a push with their excellent release. In “Oligarchy” the band delivers eight tracks of majestic Gothic Death/Doom Metal in the same vein of bands like Draconian, Ashes You Leave, old Theater Of Tragedy, The Sins of Thy Beloved, etc. With more than 50 minutes of music, this release is quite emotional and very well-crafted, the perfect addition to any fan of the genre collection.

    Opening with the nine-minute epic “The Essential Components of Misery”, we are immediately hooked by Vanessa Black and Megan Tassaker (Avrigus) enchanting vocals. Vanessa also handles the violin in this release, and it greatly adds that depressive atmospheric vibe that it is intended for. Lee Tassaker’s growls are a perfect fit, and the powerful riffs are just the stuff Doom dreams are made of.

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    Riitaoja – Mantereelle (2013)

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    Keeping things very weird and confusing, today we have Finland’s Riitaoja and their mystical release “Mantereelle”. With each song being weirder than the previous one, this band mixes elements from Folk, Southern Rock, and Jazz creating a very dark and experimental mix that is quite puzzling, but at the end of the day it is quite enjoyable and unique. An extra layer of mystery is added by the Finish lyrics, making the music even more confusing since it sounds familiar but we have to clue what they are trying to say.

    “Vähän matkaa vielä” opens this release with a very solemn vibe thanks to the subtle bass guitar and desolate female vocals. This track reminded us a bit of earlier Hexvessel but with a darker and slower pace. The experimental Tenhi-esque “Ilmiliekki”, leads to the quite interesting “Hengitän”, a song that has a Southern Rock vibe to it. As the album progresses until “Allergiset oireet” the band starts making their Southern Rock/Americana influences more evident by introducing traditional rhythms and elements like the harmonica.

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    My Silent Wake – The Anatomy of Melancholy (Remastered) (2012)

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    Being huge fans of Death/Doom Metal, we are pleased to be reviewing My Silent Wake and their 2012 remastered release titled “The Anatomy of Melancholy”. In this double release, the band delivers 90 minutes of soul crushing Death/Doom Metal with some Gothic influences very similar to My Dying Bride and related bands. Since the original recording is from 2007, we can clearly hear the time-stamp on their musical style and won’t be criticizing them from the ‘retro’ sound.

    The band opens the first CD with the typical keyboard intro only to fully explode into Doom brilliance with the opening riffs of “Dying Things We’re Living For”. The band’s similarities to My Dying Bride are undeniable with the excellent “Heretic”. The clean vocals and riffs are superb and really nail the atmosphere created by Death/Doom releases from back in the day. Not everything is all mellow and just slow and painful, the band does a great job in also having harsh elements in their music and whipping out some very aggressive sections like on “Into Silence”.

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    Riverland – Riverland (2013)

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    Making its way from Finland, today we have Riverland and their self-titled debut release. Featuring a very soothing and relaxing combination of Progressive / Alternative Rock with some Folk elements, this duo delivers seven excellent tracks. Heavily focusing in creating lush atmospheres, Riverland manages to craft a very unique and well balanced debut.

    Immediately creating a ‘feel good’ mood with the lush opener “Hope in The Air”, we can hear the band’s pop to folk influences in the span of the first minute. Miko Heino’s vocals are quite well suited for the music’s relaxing nature. “Help!” starts more in a folk-ish fashion with some cool beats and a very atmospheric vibe. On “Sounds” we can easily hear how they can perfectly fit the scene of a coffee house on a rainy afternoon. The band’s sound is quite direct and simple, perfectly fitting atmospheric concept of the album.

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    Harakiri For The Sky – Harakiri For The Sky (2012)

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    Hailing from Austria, today we have two-man band Harakiri for the Sky and their self-titled curshing debut full-length release. Featuring over thirty minutes of music, this release nicely blends aggressive Black Metal with some melodic and Post-Rock elements to produce five high-quality songs. Being quite aggressive and direct, this release nicely stands out from the other bands that abuse dreamy guitars and effects to create atmosphere.

    “Lungs Filled With Water” starts this release with commanding riffs and very powerful harsh vocals. The band’s core Black Metal influences are nicely offset by the melodic nature of the music and the overall pace. “AM, Phychosis” starts off a bit more Post-Rock-ish in nature, but it quickly develops into another epic Melodic Black Metal anthem. While a bit repetitive, this track is quite delightful thanks to its very cool melodic passages and excellent tempo changes.

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    Vanhelga – Höst (2012)

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    Delivering twelve hymns of Black Metal with Depresive Rock undertones, today we have Vanhelga and their second full-length release “Höst”. This two person outfit from Sweden consist of 145188 handling all the instruments and 1853 (ex-Lifelover) writing the lyrics, it is quite a mystery who actually handles the vocals in this release. With razor sharp riffs and melancholic melodies, the band delivers quite enjoyable passive aggressive Black Metal.

    The opener “A Sinister Longing” is a very direct and pummeling track with powerful guitars and eerie vocals. The band’s rawness reminds us a bit of earlier Burzum, but with better vocals. There is an underlying melodic aspect to their music that starts surfacing more as you get into the remaining tracks of this release. “Lugn” and “Desperation” continue this release with mellow interludes and excellent harsh sections, bringing a perfect balance between the brutal and the depressive.

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