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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Arriving from Violent Journey Records, today we have Finish outfit I Lied and their super catchy Death/Thrash Metal in “World Insane”. Originally a self-financed EP, this release is too catchy to pass and we are quite glad that the band got a label to release it to a wider audience. Delivering five tracks covering 19 minutes, this album features tons of catchy riffs and a very old-school attitude behind its music.

Opening with a Mortician-style intro, “Beaten Zone” immediately delivers powerful guitars and super catchy hooks. The vocals are very typical of the genre and they are very well balanced between growls and screams. Moving on to a more melodic approach, “Total Self Hatred” keeps the riffing onslaught alive with incisive guitars and tight drumming. There are plenty of superb headbaning moments in this track as well.

Legendary Irish Death/Doom Metal outfit returns after four years with a double CD dosage of slowly asphyxiating music with “Formless”. Delivering six blows of brilliantly crafted 14+ minute songs (and a short one), the band makes a statement that they are the kings of the genre with such an impressive release.

Opening with the heavy hitting “Theories of old bones”, the band delivers a monolithic 14 minute introduction to what is next to come in this release. The band’s signature style is immediately present in this track and through the release with very minor adjustments over their previous release. The combinations of growls and clean vocals are pretty effective since they perfectly fuse the growls of Death/Doom and the signature traditional doom clean singing.

Six years have passed since multi-instrumentalist Marius Strand released “From Below”, the debut full-length of his project solo-project The Fall of Every Season. Fast-forward to 2013 and we have him unleashing another masterpiece of extreme melancholic proportions with “Amends”. Featuring five tracks and 53 minutes of hope-crushing Atmospheric Death/Doom Metal, this is one of the best releases that we have ever heard in this genre.

Opening with the extremely painful “Sole Passenger”, this release features powerful Doom riffs surrounded by deep growls and superb clean vocals. The atmosphere in this track is amazing and is greatly enhanced by the depressive solos and top-notch vocal layering. “A Portrayal” delivers a solemn acoustic instrumental interlude that greatly enhances the mood and keeps things very mellow.

When one thinks that a band can’t get any better, we got completely surprised by how Omnium Gatherum managed to improve over their previous epic release “New World Shadows”. In “Beyond”, the band takes their highly refined Melodic Death Metal sound and brings it up another notch to near perfection in the 10 tracks presented in this majestic release.

Slowly building up with the intro track, “The New Dynamic” explodes with the band’s signature intense riffs and powerful growls. As the track progresses, the epic lead guitar work enhances the mood and the acrobatic solos immediately start. The clean vocals greatly add to the overall awesomeness of the song when paired with the precise bass guitar line. This is nicely continued by the super catchiness of “In The Rim” and its killer vocal arrangements during the songs more melodic sections.