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    Dystrophic – Cancer Constellation (2012)

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    Arriving to our office in a beautiful gatefold slipcase, today we have Dystrophic latest opus of destruction titled “Cancer Constellation”. In this five song EP the band continues to deliver sonically abusive music that reminds us of Anaal Nathrakh and similar ear-defiling acts. If you thought that their previous self-titled release was brutal, wait until you get your hands on this one!

    Warming up the engines with the Noise intro “Ascension to Absurdity”, the band quickly generates high expectations for this release. The brutality finally kicks in with some crushing riffs and massive drumming in “Cancer Constellation”. The band’s ability to create whacky guitar lines and hellish growls makes their music even more brutal. The band treats us with more sonic abuse with the crazy transitional track “Endless Portals to Uninhabitable Galaxies”.

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    Born of the Stars – Born of the Stars (2012)

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    As the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Michael Kushner, today we have Born of the Stars and their/his self-titled EP. Mixing elements of Progressive Metal, Alternative Rock and Post-Rock, the ‘band’ manages to craft very emotional and melancholic songs that are actually very appealing and engaging.

    Opening with powerful Groove Metal-style guitar riffs, “One Day” immediately morphs into a more melodic and diverse track. Michael delivers a solid vocal performance, but we are more surprise on the quality of the instrumentation behind the song. Particularly the drums are quite good, which are usually the pitfall of one-man bands, and most of the time sound like very evidently programmed ‘robotic’ track.

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    Lovely Girls Are Blind – Brésil (2012)

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    Delivering nine tracks of exquisite and playful instrumental Rock, today we have France’s Lovely Girls Are Blind and their third full-length release “Brésil”. Combining elements from Instrumental Rock, Post-Rock, and Progressive Rock, this French quartet manages create their own unique sound while reminding us of bands like Mogwai, God Is An Astronaut, and the more refined parts of Russian Circles.

    Opening with the very eerie “Catatonie”, the band sets the mood with dreamy guitars and very well paced percussions. The band does a great job in crafting beautiful passages in this song (and the rest) that allow the song to fully develop in a natural fashion. With a shorter duration and a more direct approach, “Robotnik” shows a heavier side to the band that nicely changes the pace of the release very quickly, just before going back to more dreaminess courtesy of “Cochise”.

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    Dacast – Dédale (2012)

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    Delivering a punishing aural assault of 35 minutes, today we have Dacast and their sophomore release “Dédale”. This French experimental band combines almost everything you can imagine in a ‘heavy as fuck’ package that is truly genius and totally deranged at the same time. With parts of Deathcore to brilliant Math Metal and Progressive sections, this monolithic release has something for everybody.

    With a very bizarre retro cover that pretty much describes how the music sounds, this release is totally unique and quite disturbing. The band’s in your face style is quite brutal, but what makes us even more uneasy is how amazing the band is a going from a proggy section to a balls-to-the-wall Deathcore passage and back into some Jazzy stuff. This release is split into two sides, each one as crazy and chaotic as the other, but with an underlying technical brilliance that is unrivaled.

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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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    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”.

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    Sentence – Everywhere (2012)

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    Making its way from France, today we have Sentence and their very crafty Progressive Death Metal. In their first full-length release “Everywhere”, the band delivers 13-tracks of brilliantly crafted technical music in the vein of Death and Cynic, but with a modern air to them. We are quite pleased with this release since it is not that often when you get a band that claims to play like Death or Cynic and they can actually pull it off graciously.

    After a warm-up intro, “Birth” delivers intricate guitar structures and deep growls. This track reminds us a bit of Obscura, but with a higher emphasis on the melodic side of things rather than playing millions of notes per song. The nice pace of this song allows the band to fully explore their technical abilities while sounding interesting and not overdone, something that Cynic does to perfection. In the powerful “Solitude”, the band has really warmed up and delivers a faster paced track that will blow you away with its very unique ending. Featuring a surprise element that never expected to listen in a song of this type, the band really set the bar high on this one.

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    Transgresión – ..de sangre y represión (2012)

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    Arriving today from Puerto Rico we have Transgresión and their two-song crushing demo “.de sangre y repression”. With a very old-school vibe, this band delivers around 10 minutes of no-bullshit Thrash Metal with some Speed influences and social commentary behind their lyrical approach. We love releases that manage to capture the sounds of the past while not being copies of any other bands.

    This demo opens with the crushing “Guerra Civil” and its heavy riffing surrounded by a very old-school Sepultura vibe from the “Arise” era. The vocals are very traditional and surprisingly delivered by a female vocalist named Estrella Sola. While sounding a bit flat at times, they actually fit very well the overall vibe of the music and are greatly enhanced by the additional vocals of some of the male members of the band.

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    Bradley Tatum – Punk Eternal (2012)

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    Returning after his very solid and enjoyable 2011 release “It's A Beautiful World”, today we have Bradley Tatum and his uncompromising old-school Punk Rock. Filled with catchy melodies and interesting combination of elements, “Punk Eternal” delivers thirteen tracks of back-to-the-basics music that is both enjoyable and very well crafted.

    With a very traditional musical approach, Bradley Tatum immediately grabs your attention with the opener “The Realm of Silver” and its super catchy riffing and warm vocals. Song after song, this release is filled with little details that break the monotony and make each song memorable, for example the subtle keyboards of “Life Returns” or the hypnotic female vocals in “Terminal Love”.

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    Burial Ritual – Exterminating The Masses (2012)

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    Delivering nine pummeling tracks of meaty Death Metal, today we have Burial Ritual and their second full-length release “Exterminating the Masses”. Taking a more Swedish approach to their Death Metal, this band has been around since 2005 and seems to be ready for a shot at the top with this solid release. Banking on cutthroat riffing and intense song structures, this American band manages to sound different than your average run of the mill Florida Death Metal bands from this country.

    Things start off pretty standard with the hard-hitting tracks: “Accosting The Mindless”, and “Radioactive Rain”, all of them good examples of powerful death Metal tracks with a raw feeling to them. Is not until the album titled track that the band delivers an excellent and funky melodic opening section that really shakes things up, this song also features odd tempo changes that seem to work very well for such a chaotic, yet awesome song.

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