Album Reviews

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    The Psycho Season – Unwilling (2013)

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    Delivering a small dose of catchy Hard Rock with some Metal elements, today we have Finland’s The Psycho Season and their EP titled “Unwilling”. In this superbly catchy four song EP, the band captures the listener attention by playing straight forward music that instigates some heavy duty headbanging.

    The album opens with a wave of powerful guitar riffs and catchy vocals in “Unwilling”. This track has a vibe very similar to bands like Chrome Division and similar acts that have that Hard Rock edge with some Southern Rock/Metal influences. The band’s vocalist does an excellent job in providing a staple sound to The Psycho Season. “Preposterous War” delivers more catchy riffs and tight drumming that shows the band’s musical maturity and excellent skills in writing simple yet effective music.

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    Jess and the Ancient Ones – Astral Sabbat (2013)

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    After blowing us away with their self-titled debut album last year, today we have Jess and the Ancient Ones and their follow-up EP titled “Astral Sabbat”. In this release the band further refines their amazing Psychedelic Occult Rock/Metal music and presents three very engaging tracks that will satisfy any fan of the band and of the genre. With so many bands playing this genre nowadays, it is refreshing to hear this band excel at it.

    The band immediately jumps into things with the highly intoxicating and playful “Astral Sabbat” song. We got immediately transported into psychedelic times with the crazy keyboards and super catchy song structure. Jess’s vocals are as amazing as ever and carry this song with a dramatic performance. Immediately following we have the band’s cover of Shocking Blue’s “Long and Lonesome Road”. While imprinting the band’s unique sound to this song, they also managed to say very true to this highly addictive song. Look it up on YouTube so you can judge for yourself.

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    TalismanStone – Lovecraftpolis (2011)

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    Delivering one of the most unique and sonically crushing releases of 2011 (and we missed it then!), today we have Italy’s TalismanStone and their monumental “Lovecraftpolis” release. Comprised by 3 musicians, this outfit delivers a Sitar induced double-bass guitar aural assault that combines Pyschedelic Rock elements with Doom and Sludge into four tracks of biblical proportions. If you think this combination is weird, TalismanStone manages to pull it off graciously and crank out over 45 minutes of hypnotic music.

    Opening with the Stoner/Southern Metal sounding “By The Sun of The Light Keeper”, the band establishes a very mellow and sludgy atmosphere. The bass guitars (yeah, that is right, TWO of them) replace all guitars in this track and they perfectly create that thick distortion that one would expect from a Sludge/Stoner Metal release. The female vocals courtesy of Erica Bassani are both haunting and intoxicating. However, the best part is when the trippy sitar makes its entrance to this already excellent song.

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    Diabula Rasa – Ars Medioheavy (2012)

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    Making its way from Italy, today we have Diabula Rasa and their latest full-length release “Ars Medioheavy”. For those of you unfamiliar with the band, they play a very well balanced Folk Metal that is not too heavy, but it is heavy enough to keep people headbanging for a while. In a scene so saturated by many shitty bands that want to play Folk Metal, it is quite refreshing to hear a release that is both catchy and unique, never abusing any of their traditional elements and delivering a very warm and authentic sound.

    The album opens in very high spirits with the superb “Ghirondo”. The catchy foundations of this track make it very engaging and the traditional instruments give it that authentic feeling, all enhanced by subtle orchestrations that greatly improve the atmosphere of the track. As “Tsanich” and “Cataclism” roll around, we start to appreciate the band’s old school Rock/Heavy Metal foundations that are very present in the tracks making them super catchy and quite engaging without being overly heavy or fast paced. This is one of the best elements that Diabula Rasa presents in their music.

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    Haiduk – Spellbook (2012)

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    Arriving from Canada in full force, today we have Haiduk and their debut full-length release titled “Spellbook”. As a one-man project, Haiduk is one of those bands that deliver simple yet powerful music that will send you into a headbanging rampage since the first listen. Featuring ten tracks filled with guitar acrobatics blended with Death and Thrash Metal influences, this album packs a lot of punch in its short duration.

    Opening with the catchy “Lich”, Haiduk immediately showcases a furious speed that only a handful of bands can pull off and not sound extremely pretentious. The overall atmosphere of the track is intense and very melodic but aggressive at the same time. The growls are pretty standard, but sometimes sound a bit uninspired when contrasting the powerful music. In another Death/Thrash 101 lecture, “Stormcall” is a very straight forward track that has an entertaining bass guitar line and efficient drumming.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Eternal Tears of Sorrow - Saivon Lapsi (2013)

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    As one of the most awaited releases of 2013, today we have Eternal Tears of Sorrow and their seventh full-length release “Saivon Lapsi”. With the band aging very well with time, this release is indeed their best album to date. With their signature Melodic Death Metal with Gothic elements sound, the 11 tracks presented in this release show the band’s maturity and their ability to craft epic songs that are both aggressive and emotional.

    Immediately after the intro, the band sails full-steam ahead with the powerful “Dark Alliance”. EToS traditional riffing immediately shines when paired with the atmospheric keyboards and the very elaborate vocal arrangements. Altti Veteläinen growls are as good as ever and they are very well complemented by Jarmo Kylmänen’s clean pipes, a staple in the band’s sound since 2004. The keyboard orchestrations are as impressive as ever and elevate the band’s sound majestically.

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    Totengeflüster – Vom Seelensterben (2013)

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    Being huge suckers for Symphonic Black Metal, we got excited when we received the debut full-length release of Totengeflüster titled “Vom Seelensterben”. After several listens we still have mixed feelings about this release, one the one hand, there are some awesome songs, on the other hand, there are some totally filler self-masturbation ‘orchestral’ passages that should just be discarded. This release might have been better served as an EP, since as a whole it has less impact on the listener.

    Opening with the traditional dramatic orchestration, the album finally kicks into gear with “Ein Traumgespints”, a fierce track that reminded us of the aggression put forth by bands like Anorexia Nervosa. The singing is superb and highly aggressive, the riffs are pretty solid and the overall aural experience is quite filling. There are some obvious Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth-esque elements inserted into the music, on tracks like “Ein Monolog im Mondschein”, but we can deal with them as long as they are not overdone.

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    Amiral! – Persona Non Grata (2012)

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    As the perfect break from listening to countless hours of Metal every day, today we have Amiral!’s debut full-length release “Persona Non Grata”. With very few Metal influences this ambient/instrumental rock release delivers 11 tracks of eerie atmospheres and beautifully crafted melodic passages. Being a one-man project, this release is extremely well produced and perfectly executed, showcasing the superb musical abilities of the mystery man behind Amiral!.

    Opening with some audio from George Romero’s “Diary of the Dead”, “Chi Kung” sets the mood for an ethereal musical experience. “Petites frappes en enfer” creates a very eerie atmosphere with dreamy guitar work and a hypnotic pace. Things get a bit weirder with the Trip-hop infused “Timisoara”. This track reminds us of Ulver and their current experimental phase, but with some sweet guitar leads.

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    The Resistance – Rise From Treason (2013)

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    The Resistance is a Superstar Swedish band formed by Jesper Strömblad, Marco Aro, Glenn Ljungström and Christofer Barkensjö. Together they bring to the table years of experience playing Swedish-styled Death Metal, and they managed to fuse it successfully together with some old-school Hardcore. In their debut EP “Rise From Treason” they managed to deliver four hard-hitting tracks that will have any metalhead going ape-shit for hours.

    “My Fire” introduces this release with a hefty dosage of Hardcore attitude and catchy riffs. The vocals are quite aggressive and very fitting of the Swedish DM riffs presented in the track. The band’s mixture of styles is very evident as they manage to keep the intensity levels to the max with this song. “Face to Face” features a better defined sound and a knack for crushing melody that is graciously created by the experienced musicians behind the band. We particularly love the catchy chorus section and the melodic riffs in this track.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Megascavenger – Descent of Yuggoth (2013)

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    Megascavenger is the latest project of Swedish Death Metal icon Rogga Johansson. “Descent of Yuggoth” is the band’s debut full-length release that is set to crush waves of people with its very traditional Death Metal riffs and demonic growls.

    Opening with some crushing riffs and crazy solos, “Nihilisticon” makes an immediate statement as the album’s first track. Deep growls and catchy sections are plentiful in this impressive track that any fan of the genre will greatly enjoy. “Descent Of Yuggoth” quickly creates a wall of distortion that is nicely appreciated as the track moves forward and delivers some meaty hooks and even some more unconventional sections. In “Smokescreen Armaggedon”, the combination of Rogga’s growls with the guest vocalist (we will say who they are later) greatly enhances this track.

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