Delivering one of the weirdest, yet most exciting releases of 2012, today we have Netra and its (one man band) second full-length release “Sørbyen”. Mixing elements of Black Metal with some Trip-hop influences, we are immediately reminded of a mixture of older and newer Ulver, without totally breaking character and changing identity. Each track in this release sways you one way, but it suddenly changes direction into another one, very weird, but equally intriguing to listen to.

Opening with “A Dance With the Asphalt”, Netra quickly delivers a very ‘normal’ section that is quickly over powered by furious Black Metal riffing and hellish harsh vocals. This is nicely offset by some spoken samples in French, reminding us of bands like Peste Noire. The whole hypnotic nature of this track is excellent since it manages to never really go all the way in either direction, and nicely shifts from the BM onslaught into different territories.

Canada’s answer to Arkona comes with the name of Valfreya, and their debut full-length release titled “Path to Eternity” showcases the band’s talents. Fronted by Crook, the band’s charismatic female vocalist, Valfreya delivers a good 50 minutes of an intense mixture of Melodic Black Metal with Folk Metal elements, perfectly balanced to create epic moments similar to the ones created by bands like Wintersun, Equilibrium and Turisas.

With the intro track bleeding into “Deity's Grace”, the band quickly establishes a very regal sound with a crystal clear production. Gradually increasing its intensity, “Path to Eternity” is a very well-crafted album that showcases a promising band with a very rich sound. Alternating between angelic clean vocals and demonic harsh screams, Crook does an excellent job in carrying the band through the 10 tracks presented in this release.

Rivaling the most impressive Melodic Death Metal releases of the last few years, today we have Be’lakor’s third full-length release titled “Of Breath and Bone”. This Aussie band has been making some pretty decent releases up until now, but with this one they take things to a whole new level. Delivering eight tracks of brilliantly crafted Melodic DM, this band is sent for world domination one riff at a time.

Opening with the 8-minute opus “Abeyance”, the band wastes no time in delivering a full-on riffage assault with powerful growls and excellent drumming. The band’s melodic sound is just outstanding and nicely carving different moods into their songs. Nearing the 3-minute mark the band goes on melodic DM masturbation mode and we almost began headbaning for the first time in this release, brilliant section we might add.

After their ridiculously awesome “Blood of the Nations” return, Accept set the bar very high for themselves and with “Stalingrad” they actually manage to match it. For over 50 minutes and ten tracks, one of the biggest names in Heavy Metal manages to deliver one powerful song after another one in the same vein as their previous release that introduced Mark Tornillo on vocals.

Since the opener “Hung Drawn and Quartered” we get to enjoy Wolf Hoffmann’s excellent riffing skills alongside Mark’s impressive vocals. The band keeps the momentum going by crafting super catchy chorus sections and a very strong drumming foundation for the track. The first undisputed anthem of this album is the title track “Stalingrad”. The band fuses their traditional approach with some melodic sections and a catchy chorus section that nicely pace this hard rocking song.

The nautical Funeral Doom Metalheads are back with another deep sea exploration titled “The Giant”. Ahab and their self-branded ‘nautik’ Funeral Doom Metal have released two previous releases and with this latest one they seem to be achieving total domination of the oceans when it comes to Doom Metal. With six soul crushing tracks clocking around 60 minutes, this is one hell of a ride through the seas with tuned down guitars and very moody sections, just like the doctor ordered.

Opening with a jazzy and very well paced intro, “Further South” nicely sets the mood for a very mellow release. There is no need for real ‘traditional’ Doom riffs until the second half of this eight minute track begins, and we totally love it. The clean vocals are outstanding and they nicely contrast the deep growls. The monolithic “Aeons Elapse” nicely builds up with heavy riffs and very well crafted drums. This track is one of those rollercoaster rides with plenty of chug-and-go sections. The clean vocals again provide a very regal sound to the band’s music.