A Forest of Stars – Opportunistic Thieves of Spring (2010)

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After their brilliant debut release “The Corpse of Rebirth”, A Forest of Stars (AFS) is back with their demented Psychedelic Black Metal that will puzzle the masses and will be praised by the select few that like experimental genre-bending music. “Opportunistic Thieves of Spring” is a huge step up for AFS, the album is 72 minutes long and features more intricate, more dense, and overall more grandiose compositions.

In the six songs presented on “Opportunistic Thieves of Spring” we found a very rich palette of different sounds and elements that at first, did not seemed to come along nicely. However, after a few listens we started getting immersed in the haunting (and demented) atmospheres presented in this release. Yes, the learning curve on this one is a bit steep, but once you are over the hump you will enjoy this release 100%.

Nàttsòl – Stemning (2010)

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With a true Norwegian Black Metal sound, Nàttsòl has unleashed upon the world their majestic debut release: “Stemming”. The band has the true and cold atmosphere that Black Metal should have, but what makes them standout is their use of folk elements through the album, making them sound like Ulver in their “Bergtatt” and “Kveldssanger”.

Working in secrecy since 2006 Erlend Antonsen, the mastermind behind Nàttsòl, had been writing songs and required the services of top notch musicians from the Norwegian scene in order to bring his creations to life. With “Stemming” we get a very mature Black Metal album in nature, but with a brilliant shroud of mysticism and folk elements thrown into the mix.

HATE ETERNAL announces east coast run with Cannabis Corpse and Order of Ennead

Tampa, FL death metalers HATE ETERNAL are teaming up with Cannabis Corpse and Order of Ennead for a quick string of dates on the east coast before the band heads back home to begin writing the follow up to 2008’s Fury and Flames, which was received with praise by both fans and critics alike.

Edenbridge – Solitaire (2010)

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Out of the very impressive roster of bands over at Napalm Records, Edenbridge has always been one of the most consistent bands they have. Over the years they have released very solid albums, that feature well crafted songs and a very characteristic sound given by Sabine Edelsbacher the bands vocalist, and Lanvall’s music composition skills.

The band’s bombastic sound is present in every single one of their releases and “Solitaire” is not an exception. The band’s Symphonic Power Metal sound is very well crafted around Sabine’s vocals, and the use of catchy melodies, as opposed to using overly complicated structures in their songs.

Soilwork – The Panic Broadcast (2010)

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Ever since “Natural Born Chaos”, the real Soilwork died for us. However, the band has been constantly improving in terms of their ‘new’ Metalcore/Modern Metal/Rock sound. And with the return of Peter Wichers to the band in 2008, they are closer to being very good again. With “The Panic Broadcast” the band combines all the previously mentioned genres in a very interesting way not sounding extremely Metalcore-ish, not sounding too much like a rock band either.

We are sure that Soilwork will gain a considerable amount of followers in the USA and markets where Metalcore is highly accepted with “The Panic Broadcast”. The band’s latest release is very well designed to fit into so many categories, that most people will end up liking this release (except for old Soilwork fans). Using a wide variety of vocals, Björn Strid does the Modern Metal screams very well and the clean Metalcore-ish sections even better.

Rhapsody of Fire – The Frozen Tears of Angels (2010)

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Four years have passed since the band’s last release “Triumph or Agony”, and now they are band with a vengeance. “The Frozen Tears of Angels” is one of the band’s best albums in their whole trajectory. With the same line-up since 2002, Rhapsody of Fire has recorded what is set to be the Power Metal album of 2010. Move over Avantasia, Rhapsody is back to take the 2010 title of best Power Metal album.

Featuring their extremely symphonic sound, the band takes us inside their fantasy world with over 50 minutes of impressive musical compositions. The band’s sound is more bombastic than ever, and with their impressive array of vocal arrangements, brilliant keyboard sections, and guitar acrobatics, the band will surely please all of their fans and followers of the genre.

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