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    Outre – Ghost Chants (2015)

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    In a year filled with truly innovative and thought-provoking Black Metal releases, Godz ov War Productions present us with the decadent “Ghost Chants” from Polish new-comers Outre. Perfectly deconstructing the genre and making it their own, this album features seven track of truly sickening Black Metal unlike anything you have ever heard before. The band’s unique pummeling musical approach sounds like a mixture of Watain, Behemoth and Weapon with some of the Shining/Bethlehem craziness sprinkled into the mix.

    Setting the stage with a pummeling wall of noise decadent opening ‘intro’ titled “Chant 1. – Departure”, which feature some eerie ritualistic vocals. It is until “Chant 2. – Shadow” that the band’s blasting blasphemy commences with a pummeling track filled with oppressive riffs and deranged vocals. The Black Metal aural devastation is excellently crafted to be as demoralizing as possible thanks to the killer drumming and intricate guitar work that is viciously present on
    “Chant 3. - The Fall”.

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    Embrional – The Devil Inside (2015)

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    Delivering waves of neck-breaking Death Metal, today we have Embrional and their crushing sophomore release “The Devil Inside”. Hailing from Poland, this three man outfit produces some of the most clinical and hateful Death Metal we have heard in a while. Forget about all that virtuoso Tech Death stuff, this is exactly what dreams of brutality are made from, and we have around 43 minutes of it.

    Stepping up to the plate with the demolishing drumming of “Evil's Mucus”, the band makes an instant splash thanks to their raw power. Nothing extremely fancy, but high on surgical precision, this band produces piercing moshing moments like nobody’s business and tracks like “The Abyss” and “Funeral March” are perfect examples of this. A personal favorite is the decadent “In Darkness”, a piece that punishes the listener with Kamil’s inhuman double kick skills.

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    Naïve – Altra (2015)

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    Arriving from France, today we have a very interesting and different release titled “Altra” from a band called Naïve. Mixing Progressive Rock/Metal influences with some trip-hop, shoegaze, and tons of electronic elements, they manage to create a very unique and dramatic cinematic experience in this album. Being more of the commercial-friendly spectrum of things, this release is quite mellow and perfectly enjoyable on a rainy day.

    Opening with the playful “Elevate/Levitate”, we are instantly treated to a very well put together track that nicely navigates through multiple moods and different soundscapes. With every track featuring soaring vocals and powerful guitars, this French trio has developed a very unique and solid formula to deliver high-quality songs like “Yshbel” and the excellent “Mother Russia” to name a few.

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    Luna – On the Other Side of Life (2015)

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    Unleashing over 50 minutes of crushing Symphonic/Atmospheric Funeral Doom Metal, today we have Luna and their latest opus “On the Other Side of Life”. Hailing from Ukraine, this one man show delivers waves of brilliant atmospheric passages filled with crushing Doom riffs and proficient tempo changes.

    The first part of this release comes under the 21-minute long “Grey Heaven Fall”, a highly atmospheric piece that nicely sets the mood. While there are not vocals in this release, the heavy riffs and powerful ambiance makes you forget about this and allow you to enjoy the release without even noticing.

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    The Hillinoise – My Sleeping Butterfly (2015)

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    Arriving from Italy, today we have newcomers The Hillinoise and their superbly enjoyable EP “My Sleeping Butterfly”. Fusing elements from bands like The Gathering, The 3rd and the Mortal, early Xandria and even some Slowdive influences, the band delivers three excellent tracks filled with melancholy.

    The release starts with the mellow “Lighter”, a very melancholic piece that has some touches of early The Gathering meets Sylvaine. The vocals of Dana Stefanelli are quite innocent sounding, giving the music that certain sense of bleakness that we greatly appreciate. However, it is the pulsating bass guitar line that shines though out the release, in particular “Nymphetamine”.

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    Evolvent – Whatever Happens (2015)

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    Arriving from France this week we have Evolvent and their sophomore release “Whatever Happens”. Catering to fans of Visions of Atlantis, Trail of Tears and Voices of Destiny, this band delivers ten excellent tracks that are quite enjoyable thanks to their commanding female vocals and creative song structures.

    Immediately after the intro we have the superbly catchy “Win or Die”, a song that showcases Emma Elvaston’s talents and the band’s knack for atmospheric compositions. As things progress to catchier and craftier songs like “Hurricane” and “Love Doesn’t Love Me”, the band shows their versatility with solid riffs and very precise drumming, with some growls thrown into the mix.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Amestigon – Thier (2015)

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    Hailing from Austria, today we have Amestigon and their soul crushing sophomore release “Thier”. Featuring almost one full hour of music divided in four tracks, this release delivers waves of old-school Black Metal packaged between atmospheric passages that nicely create a very oppressive vibe.

    Slowly warming up with “Demiurg”, we are treated to demoralizing riffs and hellish vocals. The combination of some clean chants nicely allows this track to be extremely eerie. The band’s raw and old-school Black Metal is very effective and brings back memories of bands like Horna meets old Satyricon. Stepping things up, “358” features a pulsating bass guitar line and in some part, higher intensity moments than on the first piece. The atmosphere is again nicely worked into the song, allowing it to change the direction of the music at any given time.

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    Dark Sarah – Behind the Black Veil (2015)

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    From the creative mind of Heidi Parviainen (ex-Amberian Dawn), today we have a very diverse and refreshing Symphonic/Gothic Metal album titled “Behind the Black Veil”. With more of a cinematic/theatrical approach than your traditional Symphonic/Gothic Metal band, Dark Sarah delivers a very engaging release filled with guest appearances and expertly crafted melodies.
                                      

    Telling the story of Sarah, this release sets the backdrop of the story with the opening tracks “Save Me”, “Poison Aple” and “Hide and Seek”, all of which feature a more passive and theater-like approach to them. The music is quite well crafted and Heidi’s vocals instantly charm the listener into continuing their journeys. Things move into more familiar territories with “Memories Fall”, a song that features a guest appearance from Manuela Kraller. While more of your typical song for the genre, it nicely keeps the album and story progression going with a more bombastic and explosive piece.

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    Abyssion - Luonnon harmonia ja vihreä liekki (2015)

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    Arriving from Finland and being heralded as the next big thing, today we have Abyssion and their third full-length release “Luonnon harmonia ja vihreä liekki”. Released via Svart Record’s imprint Secret Trees curated by Mathew "Kvohst" McNerney, this album delivers a very unique sounding Punk-fueled cracked-out Psychedelic Black Metal that is equally weird as it is brutal. Clocking in around 35 minutes of music, if you are a true explorer of Black Metal, this is one you haven’t really heard before.

    Opening with the sonic abuse of “Luonnon harmonia”, you get your standard fare of Black Metal riffing with some odd atmospheric elements thrown into the mix. The vocals are quite disturbing and greatly enhance the level of brutality crafted by the tight drumming and punishing riffs. As the Burzum/Dark Throne vibe of “Kosmoksesta tuli hautani” arrives, we are totally hooked on this band’s crushing sound.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    The Exploding Eyes Orchestra – I (2015)

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    Featuring five out of seven members of one of our favorite bands of all time: Jess and the Ancient Ones, Svart records present The Exploding Eyes Orchestra and their enigmatic debut release “I”. Delivering seven brilliant tracks of moody Occult/Pscychedelic Rock/Metal, this new band has a similar energy behind them than JATAO, but with an extra exploratory and nature and a more relaxed and freely defined style.

    Opening with the sultry “The Smoke”, the band makes a very quick impression with this trippy schedelic piece masterfully guided by Jess’s talented vocals. Things get jazzier and mellower with the emotional “Crazy Heart”. This track flows perfectly with very subtle guitars and a relaxing tempo. The fuzzy guitar leads are excellent and perfectly set you in a very hypnotic mood.

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