Delivering waves of powerful riffs, today we have Venomous Maximus and their debut-full length “Beg Upon The Light”. Originally released in 2012, Napalm Records has taken into their hands to properly release this album and get this band the amount of exposure they deserve. Featuring 10 tracks of a very unique mixture of Occult Rock and Stoner Metal, this band has a very different musical approach when compared to other Occult Rock bands that focus on adding psychedelic elements and a groovier vibe.

After a cheesy intro powered by organs, “Path of Doom” leads the way with very heavy and Sludgy riffs. The vocals are quite powerful and contrasting, reminiscent of Heavy Metal acts from the 80’s. The Doom-esque “Give Up The Witch” nicely continues the onslaught of riffs that this band has crafted for such an interesting release, with a high emphasis on catchiness, they immediately command the listeners attention.

Arriving in 12” LP format to Infernal Masquerade’s office, a rare thing these days, today we have USBM’s finest offering: Teratism, and their latest diabolical opus “La Bas”. In this four song EP we have Teratism at its finest delivering uncompromising diabolical Black Metal filled with sheer power and determination. Unlike many poser USBM releases, Teratism stays true to their calling and has managed to produce one fine piece of collectible vinyl with this one.

Opening side A with a very dramatic and chaotically hellish intro to the track “Gospel of the Heliophobe” the band goes full blast in under a minute. Always characterized by the hellish riffing of Murder, and now ex-member Domitian, the band’s massive wall of devilish sound is instantly crafted. While never abusing of their raw power, they deliver solid and creepy atmospheric passages that will make you get goose bumps. Another stand-out element of this track is the piercing bass guitar line, courtesy of Giles de Rais, the band’s lyricist.

Featuring two very interesting and intense one-man Atmospheric Black Metal bands, today we have the split release between Spectral Lore (Greece) and Mare Cognitum (USA) titled “Sol”. Out on I, Voidhanger Records, this powerful release features one very long track from each band, and a rather peculiar dual-composition song that mixes both of their atmospheric strengths in a very hypnotic song.

Mare Cognitum does the honor of opening with a 29-minute epic titled “Sol Ouroboros”. This track nicely flows from the atmospheric intro into some very fast-paced and intense Black Metal sections. With all instruments, vocals, etc., handled by Jacob Buczarski, this band delivers quite an intricate dosage of moody BM that weaves back and forth between blistering speeds and atmospheric magic. There are some odd drone/noise-like sections here and there, only adding to the overall listening experience of this fine piece.

Featuring a great ensemble of talented musicians, today we have Märchenbilder and their very impressive debut release “Flickering Truth”. Formed by James Slainmann (guitars and keyboards) and Julie Belanger Roy (violin, vocals, and viola), the band has since recruited drummer Yanic Bercier (Gone in April, ex-Quo Vadis) as permanent members before the release of this excellent debut. Playing a very bombastic and symphonic Gothic Metal, this band is ready to make their mark on this very crowded and highly competitive genre.

Immediately after a very dramatic prelude, the song “Märchenbilder” unleashes the goods with haunting female vocals surrounded by excellent orchestrations and a very dramatic and classical vibe. The use of the violin greatly adds to the overall atmosphere of the music, reminding us of the work of Pete Johansen of Tristania and The Sins of Thy Beloved fame. The band’s versatility is show in engaging tracks like “Tel'aran'rhiod” and “Awaken”, were the band combines dramatic string instruments with plenty of different vocal styles.

After taking the scene by surprise with their excellent 2012 release “Spell Eater”, today we have Huntress and their latest monumental Heavy Metal release “Starbound Beast”. While many bands get away with shitty music just by having attitude and image, Huntress delivers the whole package lead by Jill Janus and the band’s very classic and powerful music. For over ten tracks the band greatly improves over their debut full-length and manages to raise the bar a few notches with this album.

Doing a 180 switch on the opener/intro “Enter the Exosphere”, we can hear Jill’s classically trained vocals morph into screams. The first dagger has been delivered and as soon as “Blood Sisters” opens we get to hear the band’s catchy and very timeless Heavy Metal sound. The track’s energy is quite similar to old-school Heavy Metal, attitude and everything. The band produces one of the best chorus sections on “I Want to Fuck You to Death” in the last fear years, and we can totally picture legions of fans chanting that particular section at live shows.

With a very interesting sound mixing old-school Thrash with Black’n’roll. Punk/crust, and even some Doom elements, today we have Gökböri and their debut full-length “Balbal”. Featuring members of Daylight Dies, Pagan, and Sun Descends, this is one of those albums that is quite good, but very hard to peg down since every track offers a wide palette of sounds and influences.

As the album begins, the opener “Sarp Geçitler İçinde/Balbal” is a very cool retro-sounding track that reminds us of the riffing power of Vreid and the old-school Black’n’Roll bands like Midnight. The same continues with the catchy “Ulu Dağlar, Atalar”, which really engages the listener with very effective riffs. The vocals are quite fitting for the music and also have that retro-vibe. However, there are some questionable clean vocals on this last song, luckily some solid growling remedies the situation.

After gaining quite a boost on outside of Taiwan popularity with “Takasago Army”, Chthonic returns with another very intense and equally interesting release. With “Bú-Tik” the band continues with their very thematic lyrical context and their majestic music that mixes Melodic/Symphonic Black/Death Metal elements with lush arrangements and authentic instrumentation. Proving that their last album was not a fluke, “Bú-Tik” continues with their musical intensity, and delivers ten tracks of top-notch quality.

The album opens with the very dramatic “Arising Armament”, a lush instrumental intro with a very tense vibe. The band’s musical magic continues with the powerful “Supreme Pain for the Tyrant”, a very aggressive yet atmospheric and catchy track. The vocals of Freddy Lim are impressive, and add that extra level of intensity to the music. “Sail into the Sunset’s Fire” keeps things rolling with blistering drumming and excellent riffing, a highly underrated skill from the band if you ask us. Featuring some excellent solos, this track is one of the best of the album.

Staying very true to their debut EP title: “The Abuse of Amplification”, today we have Levitator and their very crunchy and totally Sludgy music arriving all the way from Australia. In this four song EP, the band delivers 40 minutes of pounding guitars and catchy melodies. Take a page from bands like Black Cobra, Icabod, etc., this band pummels through this release with ease and elegance.

Opening with the 10-minute behemoth “The Ballad of the Long Distance Drug Mule”, we immediately feel the power of the band’s commanding distortion. The riffing is quite engaging and hooks you from the first few minutes we get to hear it. The vocals are a mixed a bit low, but you can hear your typical hardcore-esque screams. “Haystacker (16 Tons)” opens with some potent feedback and a very cool bass-guitar line courtesy of their female bass player Jess. This song got a bit on our nerves since the riffs are quite basic and very repetitive, however, any huge fan of Sludge Metal will found value in this catchy little song (only 6 minutes long).

Rounding up Astarium’s promo package, today we have “Wyrm of Melancholy”, the band’s 2012 full-length release originally self-released and then released by Metallic Media, which is the version we are reviewing. In this 55-minute epic, we get to hear SiN fully develop a full-length release that is quite cohesive and very effective. Having only reviewed short EP’s from the band, it is quite clear now that Astarium has more than enough depth to keep somebody engaged for almost an hour with this release.

Instead of taking the traditional instrumental intro, “Unrelieved Solitude” opens up with some very creepy whispers and screams accompanied by distorted guitars. The atmospheric synths are again overpowering and very nicely set a creepy vibe. Having more ‘time limit’ freedom, the songs in this release are slower to develop, but always having very interesting and melancholic passages, like on “Kingdom of White Madness” and the minimalistic instrumental “Voices from the Night Sky”.

The highly atmospheric Astarium strikes again with their 2011 EP titled “Ostracism of Anachoret”. In this bone chilling release this one-man band continues with their highly creepy and theatrical music and delivers 4 very solid tracks filled with eerie atmospheres and sorrowful shrieks. Having been released and re-released multiple times since 2011, we are writing this review based on the Hexenreich Records highly limited edition that we got in the mail.

Opening with the lush “Birth of the Flame”, the band sets a very creepy Dracula-esque mood with excellent orchestrations and a tense development. The guitars finally appear on “Recantation by Death”, a track that keeps the same atmosphere but delivers some very solid riffs and shrieks. The drums are clearly programmed, but they don’t sound as fake as many one-man releases, and they nicely set the pace for the track.