Album Reviews

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    Ruin of Remembrance – Second World (2012)

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    In the days when shitty bands want to charge 10 bucks for a horribly recorded and even worse written release on the internet, it is quite refreshing to hear the amazing “Second World”, a free for download release by Ruin of Remembrance. This German band does a killer job in creating ten tracks of super catchy and atmospheric Melodic Death Metal in the same vein as Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum, and older The Elysian Fields.

    Opening with a very atmospheric intro, the magic fully comes out of its shell with the killer “Never Forget”. Dominating riffs and excellent atmospheric elements create a very melodic and dark vibe, and the pummeling ‘drums’ (we have our doubts if they are real or programmed, but we are leaning towards the second more) just craft a brilliant track. The band has no issues in keeping the intensity level very high, and with excellent and somber atmosphere like on “Birth of an Atheist”, sound that reminded us very much of The Elysian Fields and their killer release “We... the Enlightened”.

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    Testament – Dark Roots of Earth (2012)

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    After the half-assed “The Formation of Damnation”, Chuck Billy and company return with what is probably the best Testament album since “The Legacy” (well… maybe “Low” for us). With “Dark Roots of Earth”, the band gets the excellent drummer Gene Hoglan back and together with the mastermind behind the production of some of the best albums in the past few years, Andy Sneap, they deliver nine amazing Thrash Metal anthems with a splash of modern elements, but nothing too flashy or fancy to divert from the main genre.

    Blowing the listener away with the high-octane “Rise Up”, Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick deliver a powerful riffing onslaught that we haven’t heard in quite a while from Testament. Chuck Billy’s vocals are as always very traditional and James Hetfield sounding. Stepping things up with “Native Blood”, the drumming finally resonates with some excellent sections in the songs chorus part. The weird mood changes in “Dark Roots of Earth” make this song sound like something that Megadeath would have released back in the “Youthanasia” era, but with better guitar solos.

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    Reserve de Marche – The Last Twenty Years (2012)

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    Making its way from Russia (literarily), today we have Reserve de Marche and their excellent combination of Progressive Rock with Post-Rock/Metal elements. With their releases titled “The Last Twenty Years”, the band delivers a very cinematic musical experience that covers many genres and will spawn many different images and landscaped in the listeners head.

    With the opener “Calorie” the mood is set very mellow and ethereal. The band chooses to deliver a calmer Post-Rock/Metal track that features excellent percussions and very well defined guitar lines. The atmosphere is very playful and with some superb progressive elements. “Le Garage” rips through with some crunchy Sludgy guitars, giving the music a completely different look than on the first track. This ‘aggression’ is nicely alternated by some progressive percussions and interesting tempo changes. So far, the band has shown great ability for combining genres, and has kept the momentum going with two very different, but equally exciting tracks.

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    Ectovoid – Fractured in the Timeless Abyss (2012)

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    With a very foul traditional Death Metal vibe, today we have Ectovoid and their debut full-length release “Fractured in the Timeless Abyss”. Reeking of old-school Incantation, Immolation, and similar bands, this three-piece from Alabama manage to bring back that heavy and cavernous feeling of crushing Death Metal to the year 2012 with such grace and brutality.

    Opening with the 1-2 combo of “Transcend Into the Moonless Night” and “Shapeshifting Mass”, the band quickly establishes a somewhat sluggish pace with brutal riffs and a very dense atmosphere. The band’s ability to create very thunderous riffs is just outstanding and will hook any DM fan immediately after two tracks. In a more playful fashion, “Dark Clouds of Consciousness” delivers excellent growls and very intricate drums, with a few devastating speed ups.

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    Septic Christ – Guilty As We Were Born (2012)

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    Keeping the Thrash Metal flame alive, today we have Germany’s Septic Christ and their latest full-length release titled “Guilty As We Were Born”. Released under Malevolence Records, this album features twelve tracks of very well crafted old-school Thrash Metal, that is a bit slower paced than what we are used to listening to, but it has that great old vibe that brings all the nostalgic memories from the genre’s hay day.

    Opening with a very deceiving melodic track that caries the album title, things really get started with  “Starstruck” and it’s intense riffing. There are a few moments in this track that we had some Metallica “And Justice For All” flash backs from a bit, but the music caries on with a more traditional Thrash edge. The band does a good job in crafting catchy melodies, and the drums are very intricate, but we feel that there is some speed missing to make this track (and most of the rest) more intense.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Sakatat - Bir Devrin Sonu (2012)

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    Delivering their pummeling ‘full-length’ debut “Bir Devrin Sonu”, today we have one of Turkey’s most brutal bands named Sakatat. Claiming to have political ideas behind their perplexingly brutal music, this band manages to deliver the shortest full-length release ever: eight minutes long.

    Spanning eight tracks, this ultra brutal and ultra fast release has the feeling of something so intense that you won’t even feel it’s too short. With all the lyrics and song names in Turkish, we can’t really appreciate the message behind the music, but we can say that each short tracks is as brutal as they come, reminding us of the old Agathocles, Dahmer and such bands.

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    Korpiklaani – Manala (2012)

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    Continuing with their high-spirited Folk Metal music, today we have Korpiklaani and their latest opus titled “Manala”.  Cranking out thirteen songs (including the bonus track) of uber catchy music, it is very cool to see that the band kept the creative juices flowing and managed to deliver another excellent album one year after the release of their previous one. Featuring a darker (and probably deeper) edge to their lyrical concept, the band has crafted a release that will surely please most of the older fans of the band and while not featuring their traditional ‘drinking song’, the cheerful spirit of the band is equally present in this release.

    “Kunnia” gives way to this release with the typical up-beat Folk approach that has made the band world-know and has kept them as one of the best in the genre. The singing is very well crafted and nicely fits every mood transmitted by the band. The instrumentation is excellently selected and never abused, allowing the hard-rocking sound of the guitars to be enjoyed without any distractions. Things get a bit more powerful with “Tuonelan Tuvilla” thanks to the heavy guitars, with the violin nicely complementing them.

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    Memoria – Death Calls The Islands (2011)

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    If Moonsorrow, Primordial, and Ulver had a genetically engineered (and somewhat defective) son, it would most likely sound like Memoria from Australia. In their latest release “Death Calls The Islands”, the band delivers a few well-crafted tracks that will surely grab your attention, and a few others that will make you scratch your head. The band’s interesting combination of influences also does them in, since the songs get a bit repetitive and dull after a while, something that in our opinion also happens to Moonsorrow.

    In the opener “The Dogs Smell Blood”, the band immediately lifts a wall of distorted guitars that reminds us of a mixture of Moonsorrow and Primordial, but it does get a bit dull after the sixth track. The production also allows this element to overshadow the vocals in particular, frustrating us after a while. The clean vocal are and excellent hybrid between Garm and Vortex, but they are not exploited correctly. The Emperor-esque “Claw At The Pine” keeps things interesting, but it also sounds a little too much like Emperor from their Anthems-era.

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    The Gathering – Disclosure (2012)

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    Today we have “Disclosure”, the long-awaited full-length release of the legendary Dutch band The Gathering. Keeping on their element of experimentation, this release contains eight tracks of beautifully crafted music that expands on the band’s melancholic Atmospheric Rock soundscape with hauntingly beautiful melodies and ethereal guitar work.

    After wowing the non-believers with Silje’s vocals on “The West Pole”, the band’s ‘new’ singer seems more in her element and sounds even more comfortable on the tracks of “Disclosure”. Opening with the catchy “Paper Waves”, the band quickly establishes their trademark dreamy mood via melancholic vocals and delicate guitar work. The bass guitar line in this track nicely accompanies the serenity of the music and marks its way into your subconscious very easily.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Svartfell – Apocryphe Apocalypse (2012)

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    Delivering nine Black Metal aural assaults, today we have Svartfell and ‘their’ third full-length release titled “Apocryphe Apocalypse”. This one-man band from France does a great job in crafting brutal BM tunes in a very raw and powerful way. In the days when many BM releases focus on being ‘pretty’ and ‘nice’ sounding, it is refreshing to hear something as filthy and destructive as “Apocryphe Apocalypse”.

    After the pummeling opening track “Terribilis Est Locus Iste”, the band delivers very crushing riffs on “The Crimson Cross”. All drums are real in this release and this greatly enhances the experience over most one-man band that use drum machines and sound like total ass. The production however is a bit weak and makes the guitars wobble a bit and also distorts the sound of the cymbals. The vocals sound either distorted or have some kind of FX behind them, and while it sounds weird, it actually makes them more brutal and fitting for the music.

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