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    Prescient – The Polynomial Framework (2011)

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    With an incredible amount of musical skills, today we have Australia’s Prescient and their debut EP titled “The Polynomial Framework”. Delivering six tracks of brilliant Progressive Metal with excellent technical and groovy aspects, this band crafts excellent music that is both attractive and very technically complex, allowing these two dimensions to seamlessly fuse to perfection.

    Opening with the excellent “Revolutions”, the distorted guitars nicely make their way on top of well-crafted drums. While not as dominating as Meshuggah, Prescient delivers a strong foundation that features Groove-infused sections that nicely shift into more melodic passages. The album’s production allows all instruments to shine, especially the bass guitar in the more ‘mellow’ sections. The guitar wizardry makes its way on “Conductive Cell”, a very moody track that nicely shifts intensities and delivers very well crafted guitar solos and drum patterns.

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    Inner Blast – Sleepless Monster (2012)

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    With a Gothic Metal style that we haven’t heard in quite a while, today we have Portugal’s Inner Blast and their debut EP “Sleepless Monster”. Reminding us of Gothic Metal bands from the early 2000’s, the simplicity behind this band’s sound makes them very fresh and something completely different to what we are currently used to these days. Providing us with nearly 28 minutes of music, the five tracks in this EP are quite enjoyable and bring back some nostalgic memories from the past.

    Since the opener “Better Days”, the band delivers a very ‘old-school’ vibe thanks to the simple production. The keyboards are just present to add atmosphere, and are never overdone like in all bands these days. Liliana’s vocals are very natural and don’t try to be operatic or anything, just filled with feeling and that is all. We have missed music like this since bands like Nightwish, Epica, etc., now sound like a movie soundtrack and some of the emotion behind the music is greatly lost.

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    Malfeitor – Dum Morior Orior (2012)

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    Attacking our ears with relentless riffing, today we have Malfeitor’s “Dum Morior Orior”. For a band that formed in 1990, it is quite suspect that they are finally releasing their debut full-length in 2012. Anyways, this old-school Swedish Death Metal band does a pretty solid job in delivering Grave-like song structures that while effective, they feel a bit outdated by current standards.

    “Conversation in Minor” delivers the first onslaught of riffing and the nostalgic feelings begin. Reminding us of the great Grave, this band does pack a lot of heat in this release, but it also seems like it was in the ‘cooler’ for a bit too long. There are pretty solid riffs and excellent bass guitar sections in this track, and the growls are very typical of the period, but it just fails to move us like other recent Swedish DM releases.

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    Useless Concept – Mysterious Impact (2012)

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    Led by the strong vocals of Sandrine Humbert, today we have Useless Concept and their latest release “Mysterious Impact”. Combining Hard Rock with some Metal and Progressive elements and a few jazzy/funky hints, this release delivers twelve tracks of excellent and catchy music. Being originally and instrumental, and then a Progressive Metal band, Useless Concept has come a long way to their current shape, but it sure works for them and to the advantage of the listeners.

    Opening with “Emphatic Experience”, the band starts on a high note thanks to Sandrine’s vocal and the excellent music behind this track. The heavy Rock vibe is quite enjoyable, but the little progressive elements are what makes the music standout even more. The riff centric “Live and Learn” keeps things rolling, but the atmospheric elements of “Amy” really give the band that extra depth that many inexperienced bands are lacking.

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    Refusal – Grasp (2012)

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    Remember the good old days when extreme music did not had faggy clean vocals and breakdowns?, if you do, then Refusal’s latest demo “Grasp” provides a nice stroll through memory lane. Delivering four songs of very typical Swedish Death Metal, this band from Finland does a great job in capturing a timeless sound and making it their own with super catchy tracks.

    Opening with the neck breaking “Do Your Part”, the band’s sound immediately has that old-school vibe. The riffing is quite catchy and the vocals are raspy and powerful. This song also features a pretty solid tempo that is nicely marked by the well-crafted drums. The band reminds us of Grave in certain instances. Keeping the catchiness flowing, “Grip” delivers nice and meaty guitars paired with excellent growls. In this track we can verify that the band does a great job in creating a certain tempo that works perfectly with the riffing and the vocals.

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    Wall of the Eyeless – Through Emptiness (2011)

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    Delivering their first demo “Through Emptiness”, today we have the incredible Swedish/Russian collaboration named Wall of the Eyeless. Mixing Death Metal with some Doom and melodic passages, this two-person band delivers quite an interesting release. With four tracks covering around 24 minutes of music, this demo is one of the most promising ones we have received in quite a while.

    Opening with “The Hands”, the band starts with a very typical Death Metal piece that features a few hints of melodic sections at first, and then it explodes into an excellent Doom-ish atmospheric section after the 3:30 mark. We love that the production is a bit raw and it allows the guitars to sound very crunchy. Things open in a more melodic fashion in “Do We Belong Here?”, a track that is more dramatic and quite crushing. The vocals are pretty solid, and the acoustic passages in this track are excellently crafted.

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    Empires Laid Waste – With the Tide Comes Destruction (2012)

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    Making its way from Australia, today we have Empires Laid Waste second effort titled “With the Tide Comes Desctruction”. In this 6 song EP, this band shows great promise in their super catchy Melodic Death Metal music. Perfectly laid out to build up since the first song to the last, there are excellent melodic passages and great riffing ideas through this release, and while there are a few ‘rookie’ mistakes, this band has enough skill to be really good.

    Starting with the mainly Death Metal song that bears the album’s title, the band quickly delivers heavy guitars and great drumming. This track has enough variation to be a bit more diverse than your average DM tune, but still not enough to be a full on Melodic DM epic. The growls are pretty standard for a release of this kind, and might seem linear to some, but it’s DM, not a singing competition. The short “Banished To The Wasteland” delivers more double-kick brutality, and a nice meaty hooks that keep the listener entertained.

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    The Sea Charmer – Cimmerian Repose (2012)

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    Presenting a very interesting musical approach, The Sea Charmer delivers their two-song ‘demo’ “Cimmerian Repose”. Mixing Progressive elements with some Hardcore and even post-rock/metal hints, these two songs are quite interesting to listen to. Hailing from the Czech Republic, this young band managed to catch our attention immediately with some witty melodic passages inserted into their more ‘modern’ Metalcore antics.

    Opening with “Trigger the Grief”, the track sounds a bit Post-rock/Metal-ish from the get go, but the clear hardcore/metalcore influences quickly sink in. We particularly hate this way of half-assed ‘singing’, but sounds a bit tolerable in this song. The clean –core singing is ok, and considerably better than the ‘harsh’ screams, this also sets the mood a bit different than what one would expect. The music is quite excellent, and even the core-ish guitars seem to work well with the atmosphere. The epic closing made us get all rattled up, too bad it was just to complete this track and it wasn’t taken advantage of (we hope to hear more of this from them in the future).

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    Alter self – Promo (2012)

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    Delivering three excellent Death/Thrash Metal tracks, today we have Alter self and their 2012 promo. In this short but sweet release, we are treated to nearly 12 minutes of very well composed music that will have you headbanging since the first minute. With a well-balanced mixture of old-school Thrash and aggressive Death Metal elements, this band has a very clear and direct sound that many others can only dream about.

    Opening with a bang, “My Sober Reflection” delivers very powerful riffs and a very nice bass guitar line that is pulsating in the background. With a very aggressive sound, this track delivers a hefty balance between Melodic Thrash Metal and hard-hitting Death Metal. The band’s musical abilities are pretty solid and all elements of this song work very well together.

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    Kyzyl Kum – Sable Rouge (2012)

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    Balsting their way to the USA with eight tracks of instrumental Doom/Stoner Metal, today we have France’s Kyzyl Kum and their debut release “Sable Rouge”. Featuring a high-dosage of crushing riffing and tight drumming, this debut release showcases the abilities of this two-man destructive machine in the vein of Black Cobra, Bison, Kylesa and Bongzilla.

    Clocking in around 40 minutes, this release gets going with the atmospheric intro “Kosmiska Superskunk” and fully kicks into gear with the super catchy “Cause des smicards sur du funk”. The band has a little Southern twang in their sound, and this track clearly shows that groovy side of things. The guitars keep assault the listener with “Because Death of Icare Sucks”, a track that has a very raw nature to it, but still sounds crisp enough to fully enjoy the waves of distortion coming at you.

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