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    Predatory Light – MMXIV (2015)

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    Hailing from Santa Fe, New Mexico, today we have Predatory Light and the re-release of their 2014 demo in a 10” vinyl format through Pesanta Urfolk. Featuring members and ex-members of bands like Ash Borer, Anhedonist and Drought, the band crafts a very intense and thick Black/Death Metal wall of sound with some Doomy elements thrown into the mix. This two track release is just a little taste of the band’s destructive powers and will surely leave you wanting more.

    Opening with the oppressive “Changing Skins”, we have deep raspy vocals greatly complementing the demolishing riffs. The incorporation of Black Metal elements and blast beats into the music nicely provides solid tempo changes that keep the listener always engaged. The band provides a craftier and more elaborate piece with “Spiritual Flesh”, a 10-minute song that is mostly mid-tempo and very hypnotic with some well incorporated bursts of violence thrown into the mix. The riffing is at the center of this song, being quite creative and diverse.

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    Thurisaz – The Pulse of Mourning (2015)

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    When the core of a band stays together since the beginning, the quality and structure of their music stays greatly unchanged and constantly improves, this is the case for Belgium’s premier Atmospheric Death/Black/Doom outfit Thurisaz. Having caught our attention since their magnificent debut “Scent of a Dream” back in 2004, the band has been taking their time to release albums, but every time the wait is completely worth it. With “The Pulse of Mourning” the band further refines their signature sound and delivers nine brilliantly melancholic songs.

    After the instrumental opener, the band burst into action with the pummeling first few minutes of “…For A Change”. Thurisaz has always combined Death/Black Metal style onslaughts with lush atmospheric elements, and this song (and release) keeps the tradition. As the previous track winds down, the band continues with the more rhythmical and perfect for headbanging “Patterns of Life”. In this track we are treated to band’s signature melodic passages that are greatly enhanced by some moody clean male vocals. The band’s constant influx of creativity into the tempo changes of their songs is unique, and greatly exemplified in this song.

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    Rise of Avernus - Dramatis Personæ (2015)

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    With the popularity of Gothic/Symphonic Metal, hundreds of bands appeared in the scene and flooded our inbox with tons of sub-par releases. Luckily for us, Rise of Avernus does not conform with the masses and on their latest EP “Dramatis Personæ”, the band manages to have their own unique interesting of Progressive Gothic/Doom Metal. Imagining Septic Flesh meets Epica, this band delivers both intricate heavy music and some nice orchestrations to adorn things.

    Opening with “In the Absence of Will”, we get the traditional symphonic orchestrations mixed with some interesting riffs and tempo changes. The drumming is quite solid and the overall feel of the track is heavier than symphonic… what a relief. Things get a bit more complex and engaging with the brilliant “Path to Shekinah”, a song that features some heavy passages and engaging vocal arrangements (both growls and male clean vocals).

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Dynfari - Vegferð tímans (2015)

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    Hailing from Iceland, today we have yet another outstanding Atmospheric Black Metal band named Dynfari. In the band’s third full-length release we get eight melancholic tracks of mournful music with just the right amount of brutality and external influences to make them quite unique and enjoyable.

    Leading the album we have the Post-Metal /The Ocean-esque intro “Ljósið”. “Óreiða” paves the way for more melodic and depressive territories with the weeping guitars in this track. The vocals are your very traditional screams that don’t sound too aggressive to be typical BM or to mellow for the hyper fast drumming. The band is not afraid of experimenting enriching their sound with some hypnotic melodic passages and droning headbanging moments.

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    Saturnalia Temple – To the Other (2015)

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    Finally being released in North America by The Ajna Offensive, Saturnalia Temple’s sophomore full-length “To the Other” arrives on April 7th, 2015. Having seen the band live at Stella Natura, we started following their unique Pyschedelic/Stoner Doom Metal since then. In this release the band further strengthens their presence with seven/eight tracks of punishing riffs and a very rich wall of sound.

    Pouncing at the listener with their opening track (that got sandwiched with the intro in the version of this album we reviewed), the band delivers savagely distorted riffs and hellish vocals. It is not until the next track, “To the Other”, that the band changes its attack approach to a more Stoner vibe with the underlying crunchy riffage that characterizes their style. Falling in from one type of trance to the next one, “Snow of Reason” nicely changes the pace thanks to some more engaged drums and a less oppressive guitar distortion.

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    The Grammers – Journey (2015)

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    Instantly a top contender for the catchiest and most engaging release of 2015, today we have Finland’s The Grammers and their release “Journey”. Delivering 11 tracks of vibrant Hard Rock, this band has a very playful and engaging sound that instantly grabs your attention.

    Expertly selected to kick off this release, “Journey” has a superbly engaging chorus section that will stick in your head for days. The track is quite moody and very well crafted, similar to the approach that Crimson Tears used to take in their music. As the band pummels through the catchy “Brother” and the superbly executed “Hey Mama”, we instantly notice the band’s very positive energy and great deal of fun they seem to have when delivering such lively songs.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    A Forest of Stars – Beware the Sword You Cannot See (2015)

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    Delivering their most impressive offering to date, today we have A Forest of Stars (AFOS) and their fourth full-length release “Beware the Sword You Cannot See”. Further expanding their already very theatrical and unique sound, AFOS has crafted a very complex masterpiece filled with string instruments, solid percussions, and a very hearty foundation of Metal to pull everything together.

    Opening with the chaotic “Drawing Down the Rain”, has a very schizophrenic feeling that it only gets more bizarre as the release goes by… and we love it. The bands heavy riffing and pummeling drums lay the perfect foundation for the plethora of extra instruments and multiple vocal styles that this seven person outfit delivers. With a distinct feeling of getting lost in somebody’s dark mind, tracks like “Hive Mindless” and “Blaze of Hammers” continue punishing the listener with abstract sounds and very cinematic atmospheric elements.

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    Helrunar – Niederkunfft (2015)

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    Germany’s Helrunar is by far the least imaginative and most straightforward band in the Lopus Lounge stable of great musical acts. However, there are some decent moments and redeeming qualities that make this band good enough for us to review them over countless others we receive every day. Featuring eight track and around 56 minutes of music, this album marks the band’s first full-length release in nearly four year.

    The album’s opener, “Niederkunfft” nicely provides a window to the band’s musical approach and unluckily everything else will sound quite familiar. There are some nice chilling elements here and there like the creepy atmosphere and the closing of “Totentanz”, but the vanilla tracks like “Der Endkrist” leave a lot to be desired based on Prophecy productions/Lopus Lounge standards. Other pieces like the doomy “Devils, Devils Everywhere!” have nice riffs but some very silly passages that quickly reduce the listener’s desire to stay engaged in the music.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Crest of Darkness – Evil Messiah (2015)

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    Hailing from Norway, Crest of Darkness delivers us with their latest offering: “Evil Messiah” a 20-minute EP filled with the band’s signature old-school(ish) Black/Death Metal. Featuring 3 normal songs and a cover of Alice Cooper’s “Sick Things”, this release is quite entertaining and a good follow up to their 2013 release “In the Presence of Death”.

    Opening with the super catchy “Evil Messiah”, the band grabs your attention with a certain retro sound that is not very common these days. The main driver of this track is the crunchy guitar riffs that make it well suited for headbanging to it. Things get Thrashier with the intense “Armageddon”, a song that reminds us to old-school Thrash from the Bay area but with harsher vocals.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Uhriristi – Haudankylmä (2015)

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    Arriving from Finland via France’s Mortis Humanae label, today we have Uhriristi and their punishing anti-religion Black Metal. Delivering great quality Black Metal with light use of atmospheric elements, this band perfectly fits in the intersection of bands like Dimmu Borgir/Alghazanth and Horna/Satanic Warmaster. The perfect balance of keyboards/synths and blistering riffs/drums is what makes this band be more than your average BM outfit.

    Misleading the listener with the soft intro, “Kaivo” quickly explodes into a pummeling riffing onslaught that has a certain Horna-esque vibe to it. The band’s vocalist Rutto has some well suited pipes for this type of music. The band instantly reminded us of the older days of Dimmu Borgir/Old Man’s Child as “Routahauta” and “Haudankylmä” made their appearance. The band’s sound is quite compact and they have a certain old-school vibe that keeps their music fresh in terms of the current trends in Atmospheric/Melodic Black Metal.

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