Album Reviews

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    Neferion – The Primordial Mode (2012)

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    In the short-but-sweet category, today we have a very talented entry from the Northern lands of Finland: Neferion and their 2012 demo “The Primordial Mode”. In this four-track release, the band showcases and new and fresh style that allows them to deliver powerful tracks filled with harsh and clean female vocals delivered by the band’s vocalist Maija Saari. Combining a good dose of melody and Thrash Metal this brief release gives you a powerful insight into the band’s musical capabilities.

    Opening with the powerful “Nightingale” the band delivers waves of melo-Thrash riffs that immediately grab your attention. The growls are as powerful as any male-growls and the transitions to clean vocals are very well done. The sense of melody of the track is quite engaging and gives the band that clean-cut Finish-style of Melodic Metal presence. “Daunting” keeps the energy flowing and has more of a Modern Metal vibe to it with the chorus part making the band comparable to acts like Kittie and such, but with a more aggressive edge.

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    Ov Hollowness – The World End (2013)

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    The Epic Post Black Metal Canadian outfit Ov Hollowness brings today a hefty dosage of piercing riffs and crushing vocals with “The World End”. For the duration of the 10 tracks in this release, this one-man band manages to socially abuse the listener with punishing guitar work surrounded by an excellent atmosphere and very well paced melodic headbanging sections. If you are a fan of guitar driven Black Metal, this is one release you don’t want to miss.

    Immediately blasting away with “Abstractive”, the band immediately reminded us of bands like Agrypnie that push the boundaries of the genre by taking it to different directions. The guitar work is not your typical tremolo-picking abuse festival; it is more centered and melodic allowing the melodies to flow better while maintaining a very brutal and crushing sound. There are also tracks that are quite aggressive for the more purist fans of the genre, and they can be nicely sampled with “Grey”.

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    Arsenic Addiction – Echoes of Mourning: Communion with the Damned (2012)

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    Nicely refining their skills over time, today we have Arsenic Addiction and their latest release “Echoes of Mourning: Communion with the Damned”. Hailing from Salt Lake City one of the Mormon capitals of the world, it is quite refreshing to find a band with such an aggressive yet melodic sound and imposing stage presence. Claiming to be Gothic Victorian Metal, the band nicely combines Gothic Metal elements with heavier Black/Death Metal influences all delivered by their female growler: Lady Arsenic.

    Opening the release with the imposing “Aphotic Rite”, the band showcases even more Gothic touches than on their previous release. As an intro, this track really gets the listener interested in what is to follow. “Crown of Glass” goes into full swing with the band’s trademark signature and a constant struggle between hellish growls and soaring clean vocals. The band’s sound has that early 2000’s vibe of Gothic Black/Death Metal that is still widely used (and loved) these days.

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    Russkaja – Energia! (2013)

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    In the same vein of truly unique and completely bizarre bands like Diablo Swing Orchestra and the Leningrad Cowboys, today we have Austria’s Russkaja and their latest release “Energia!”. Featuring 12 tracks of ‘Russian Turbo Polka’ music as the band describes it, any fan of truly experimental and very unique music will be creaming their pants with this bizarre musical output. Combining Polka, Metal, Ska, Rock, Jazz, and Funk, this release is anything but standard and predictable.

    Open the release wide open we have the catchy “Energia!” a track so engaging that we are sure some people will immediately start dancing. The band’s sound resembles some of the Ska we have listened to in the past, but with a higher intensity and heavier guitars. “Barada” sounds like old Russian Rock songs that we had the misfortune of listening to on the net, but the band adds the wind instruments to keep it interesting and very catchy.

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    Minutian – Repercussions (2011)

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    With a slight alternative rock edge to their sound, today we have Finland’s Minutian and their very entertaining release “Repercussions”. Delivering seven tracks of super catchy rock tunes with some Progressive Rock/Metal elements, the band showcases their knack for epic melodies and intricate passages arranged in a very approachable and engaging manner.

    Opening with the playful “Hole”, the band sets a very light mood for this release. Mikko Heino does a great job delivering emotionally charged vocals on top of the very mellow music. The progressive touches are more present on “In Circles”, a track that reminds us of a more Rock version of King Crimson with very dreamy melodic passages. Things get a bit heavier with “Cold & Tight” one of the best tracks in this release thanks to its very intricate instrumental passages.

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    Përl – R(a)ve (2013)

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    With a very unique and aurally pleasing sound, today we have France’s Përl and their release “R(a)ve”. Distributed through Apathia Records, every time we get a promo pack from them we are always in for a very unique musical experience thanks to their excellent taste in bands and releases. Playing a quite interesting combination of Progressive Rock/Metal elements with unique atmospheric elements and lead by a very strong female vocalist, Përl delivers eight very different and engaging tracks in this release.

    Opening with the very elegant and mysterious “Tidjan”, the band’s unique sound immediately highlights the sultry voice of Aline Boussaroque. The blend of progressive elements with distorted guitars is quite unique and very well-spaced to allow the vocals to truly shine in this song. Playful tracks like “Fusce Deliria” show the band’s abilities to craft intricate melodies with super catchy passages and funky vibes. The lounge-like “Insomnie” is quite a hypnotic track that focuses more on Aline’s vocals and the band’s atmospheric elements, creating a very unique listening experience.

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    Pombagira – Maleficia Lamiah (2013)

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    Delivering a very unconventional musical experience, today we have Pombagira and their fifth full-length release “Maleficia Lamiah”. Playing a very sonically pleasing combination of Stoner/Psychedelic and Doom Metal, this two person outfit delivers 2 tracks and over 41-minutes of brilliantly crafted music that has the vibe of a mystical jam session.

    Opening with the album title track, “Maleficia Lamiah”, we are led into a cavernous path with sludgy riffs and well-crafted percussions. The bands style reminded us a bit of Karma To Burn and similar bands that just keep on going with intricate sections. As the track progresses, the catchy instrumental sections are quite effective and reach a very engaging climax. Before closing this 19-minute behemoth, the band goes back into some sludgy territory coming full circle on this ambitious track.

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    Soilwork – The Living Infinite (2013)

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    Suffering by the exit (for the second time) of their long-time guitarist and main songwriter, Peter Wichers, Soilwork manages to regroup and produce one of the best efforts to dates in the double album “The Living Infinite”. With all the band participating in the songwriting process, their latest release is actually very dynamic and diverse, exploring all facets of Soilwork’ sound from the last years.

    Keeping on their Metalcore / Melodic Metal path, the band immediately opens the first CD of this release with the crushing “Spectrum of Eternity”, a track that perfectly mixes intense passages with melodic sections. Björn Strid’s vocals are once again perfect in blending harsh elements with soaring clean vocals giving the music a versatile sound that many bands fails miserably at.

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    Okular – Sexforce (2013)

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    Coming along with quite a set of positive reviews for their earlier work, today we have Norway’s Okular and their sophomore release “Sexforce”. Playing an interesting mixture of Progressive Death Metal with some Melodic DM elements, this band is full of creative and unique ideas, too bad they can’t seem to really work them together in a cohesive manner. Besides the obvious musical quality, this release features guest appearances by Athera (Susperia) on seven tracks and Vintersorg on one song.

    After many listening to this promo countless times, we are torn about not really being able to like it as a whole. The album is quite complex and has plenty of layers to it, but they mostly feel like several things going in different directions and never really coming together properly. On the one hand, we have killer guitar work on songs like “Not Separate” and “Sexforce”, but some of the tempo changes are confusing and the vocals go in different directions.

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    Illnath – 4 Shades of Me (2013)

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    After their surprising transformation on “Third Act in the Theatre of Madness”, Illnath returns with a very solid release rooted on a bigger Melodic Death Metal foundation. “4 Shades of Me” features 11 tracks of superbly catchy Melodic Death Metal that shows the band nicely settling into their new career path.

    Immediately after the so-so opener “Blood Warrior”, “Gallow Hill” shows the first signs of brilliance in this release with super catchy riffing and a crushing sense of melody and aggression. The band’s growler Mona Beck does a fine job in delivering harsh vocals that if you didn’t read it was a female singer, it would be hard to figure out.

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