Album Reviews

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    KingBathmat – Truth Button (2013)

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    Arriving from the UK, today we have KingBathmat and their excellent release “Truth Button”. Invoking Progressive Rock greats like Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Flower Kings, etc., this band delivers six excellent tracks filled will beautifully carved melodies and surprises in every corner. Not just being a copy of said bands, KingBathmat manages to fuse some Grunge with Experimental Rock elements and a dash of Psychedelic rock, crafting a very trippy and technically proficient sound.

    Opening with “Behind The Wall”, we can instantly listen how the band’s Grungy guitars perfectly blend with space-age keyboards similar to Spock’s Beard and such bands. The heavy guitar sound nicely contrasts the lush vocals and overall mood, creating a very powerful and melancholic sound. Fully warmed up, “Abintra” keeps the mood flowing with very harmonious vocals and a funky bass guitar line. This song also has very playful psychedelic undertones that elevate the atmosphere of this track.

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    Fen – Dustwalker (2013)

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    Arriving early 2013, we have Fen’s eagerly awaited third full-length release “Dustwalker”. This UK band has been pushing forward with their Post-Rock infused Atmospheric Black Metal for several years now, and with this release they manage to go fully over the Post-Rock side of things lined with some killer Black Metal elements. In this excellent release, the band delivers seven brilliant atmospheric tracks that will surely enchant you since the first one.

    Opening with the most brutal track in this release “Consequence”, the band goes on a killer opening with furious Black Metal riffing and crippling harsh vocals. This very intense opener nicely mixes some excellent clean vocals and the overall atmosphere feels very soothing once the song climaxes and closes. The Post-Rock side of things starts with the very ethereal “Hands of Dust”, a melancholic 11-minute song that is quite enjoyable and very easy flowing. Don’t get us wrong, there are intense BM moments here and there, but the overall structure of the track is quite melodic.

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    Lord Agheros – Demiurgo (2012)

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    Today we have one-man band Lord Agheros and its latest atmospheric opus titled “Demiurgo”. Hailing from Italy, this band suffers from the one person doing too many things syndrome, and while delivering excellent bone chilling atmospheric elements, the totally craptastic programmed drums bring down the release quality in a very drastic manner. For over 17 tracks, we are treated to some creepy passages and amazing symphonic elements, making this 60 minute release quite a journey.

    Warming up with “Chapter I: Prologue”, our expectations grew immensely since the atmosphere is very intoxicating. This nicely bleeds into “Eris”, a song where even the drumming is very tolerable in this song (very slow paced sections). What makes this track special is the spare acoustic guitars and string instruments that create a very desolate and eerie atmosphere when combined with the synths. With things speed up on “Styx”, is when Lord Agheros drops the ball and the horrible drumming begins. We understand that is hard to find talented drummers and that not all one-man bands call graciously pull off ALL instruments, but when the drumming sounds this fake, it makes us wonder if the person writing the music is actually listening to it.

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    Cardiac Necropsy - Shayateen (2012)

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    Making its way from Singapore, today we have Cardiac Necropsy and their killer second full-length release “Shayateen”. Delivering 11 tracks of neck breaking Death Metal, this band features a crushing Death Metal sound that is very well developed and creates very groovy tracks. With a stellar production, this release is one of the best DM albums we have received from unsigned bands.

    After the typical intro, the band blasts away with “Abaddon Earth”, a very powerful and engaging track. The growls are pretty solid, but the catchy riffing is what makes this song quite appealing. Moving forward with “Doomsday Architect”, we can hear the excellent drumming perfectly carry this groove-infused song. With tons of tempo changes and intricate guitar work, the band carves their own sound very creatively while staying true to the genre.

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    Uhrijuhla – Uhrijuhla (2012)

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    As one of the most interesting labels of this year Svart Records has managed to put out some of the most awesome releases of the year from artists like Hexvessel and Sabbath Assembly. Uhrijuhla is another band from this label that will make you confused the first time you spin their self-titled debut album. Breaking boundaries and delivering a combination of Progressive Rock with Psychedelic elements and even some Pop influences, this release packs a lot of punch under its enigmatic nine songs.

    Opening with the eerie “Avaruuden lapsi”, the band really makes the statement that this release is nothing like anything you have heard before. The music is quite psychedelic and the humming greatly enhances the disturbing retro-atmosphere of this song. Things get weirder with “Se minkä maa voi antaa”, a track that features quite angelic female vocals and a very mellow pace. The chorus part of this track is quite catchy and enjoyable, making it one of the best songs in this release.

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    Hanging Garden – At Every Door (2013)

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    Continuing with their surprising evolution into a more Gothic Rock-inspired sound, today we have Hanging Garden and their latest release “At Every Door”. On their debut release “Inherit the Eden” the band jumped into the scene with a very melodic Death/Doom Metal and was praised by fans all around. With their second effort “TEOTWAWKI” the band started to mix more Gothic and different elements to make their music more accessible to a broader audience, something that they gracefully continue to do with this release.

    Opening with the trippy “Ten Thousand Cranes”, the band delivers electronic elements with clean vocals making them sound like current Paradise Lost and Tiamat. Not all is lost since their original sound is present underneath everything with powerful riffs and excellent growls. Thankfully the new vocalist can do the growls as deep and powerful as their original one. “Ash and Dust” starts a bit more powerful than the first track, and the atmospheric details added by the keyboards work very well with the song.

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    Old Corpse Road – Tis Witching Hour… As Spectres We Haunt This Kingdom (2012)

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    Holy shit! Who brought Cradle of Filth (circa 1996) back from the dead!. With a very familiar sound, today we have Old Corpse Road their debut full-length release “'Tis Witching Hour... As Spectres We Haunt This Kingdom”. Sounding eerily similar to CoF on their “Vempire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein”/”Dusk…and Her Embrace” era, today we have this British band with a very explosive sound with some Folk elements thrown in to keep things a bit fresh.

    Surrounded in a shroud of mysterious atmospheric elements, the opener “’Tis Witching Hour” delivers the chilling deep spoken vocal sections that we all used to love from CoF. The keyboards are extremely epic (just like on “Dusk…and Her Embrace”) and nicely set the mood for the brutal “The Cauld Lad Of Hylton”. In a very CoF-esque vibe, the band quickly delivers massive drumming sections and killer shrieks/growls combo sections. This is exact déjà vu of what CoF used to do back in the day, and we think it is awesome.

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    Abstrusa Unde – Introspection (2012)

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    Being re-released by Apathia Records, today we have Abstrusa Unde and their debut full-length “Introspection”. In this very diverse and entertaining release, the band delivers eight tracks of brilliant Avant-Garde Black Metal with a deranged theatrical vibe to it, similar to Arcturus, Unexpect, and such bands. With ten musicians participating in this release, the listener is in for a truly exciting experience through many different musical landscapes.

    Opening with the album’s title track, the band crafts a very sinister atmosphere similar to a mixture of Angizia with The Diablo Swing Orchestra. Immediately invoking the spirits of the masterpiece of Arcturus, “La Masquerade Infernale”, the band delivers the intoxicating “Hamsa Lonri”. This song features enchanting female vocals and intense string instruments. The harsh vocals mix very well with the female singing and with the crazy keyboards, creating a truly haunting experience.

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    Silent Wings – Revolution Unfolding (2012)

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    Just as we got our entire facts ready for this review, we found out that the band has parted ways with a member and that this release will probably never see the light of day… commercially that is. That aside, today we have Silent Wings and an extremely awesome Symphonic Metal EP release titled “Revolution Unfolding”. Lead by the beautiful vocals of Rhea Gawlicka, this band shows unlimited potential with eight excellent compositions that are very bombastic and melodic in nature.

    Similar to Within Temptation, After Forever, etc., this band is not claiming to be revolutionary or anything, they just play one mean Symphonic Metal that can compete with any of the previously mentioned bands. After a very epic intro, “Nobody’s Savior” reminds us a bit of Serenity (sans the male vocals) and its very epic and melancholic atmosphere. Marta’s vocals are just outstanding since they are firm and very beautiful, making her one of the best female vocalists for this kind of music. Further evidence of this is can be found in the very dramatic “Into the Void”, one of our favorite tracks in this release, the same can be said about the powerful ballad “Out of Hell”.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Eclectika – Lure of Ephemeral Beauty (2012)

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    After pushing the boundaries of Black Metal with their 2010 release “Dazzling Dawn”, today we have Eclectika and their latest opus “Lure of Ephemeral Beauty”. In this album the band shows that they have settled with a very sharp and aggressive brand of Black Metal with brilliant melodic incursions that greatly set them apart from the rest. For over 10 tracks the band demonstrates that with a bit of creativity, all Post-Black Metal does not have to sound the same.

    Opening with a lush symphonic instrumental track, the band sets the expectations really high for their third full-length release. Immediately blasting away with album’s title track, we get a typical Black Metal vibe but with a completely different guitar distortion of what one would expect. This allows the band’s sound to be quite different and very engaging indeed. The harsh vocals make their appearance, but it is the female vocals of Noemie Sirandre that really make this song shine in a very dramatic and operatic way.

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