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    Mord'A'Stigmata – Ansia (2013)

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    After their impressive 2011 “Antimatter” we had huge expectations from Mord’A’Stigmata’s latest release “Ansia”. Delivering a half-baked cake, this album features an interesting direction the band is taking, but it fails to completely blow us away like the previous one. Mixing in some Post-Metal/Black Metal elements into their weird Avant-garde BM core, the band seems to have the right idea but missed the point a bit (hell, maybe WE are the ones missing the point).

    With “Inkaust” opening with furious strength, the song slowly transforms into a Post-Metal piece with a slow middle part and switches back again into BM mode. The band’s Post-Metal section is quite intesreting since it does not feel like straight Post-BM, but rather a hybrid of typical Neurosis-like Post-Metal with some BM riffing. Yeah, weird indeed but it feels rather odd, even after more than a few spins. Anyways, “Shattered Vertebrae of the Zodiac” comes back to a bit more familiar territories with the first few minutes being Black Metal with interesting Post-whatever percussions. The improvisational Post-Rock-ish interlude is quite interesting an unique, but it still didn’t really clicked with us.

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    Alghazanth – The Three-faced Pilgrim (2013)

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    Arriving from the most powerful Symphonic/Melodic Black Metal band from Finland, today we have “The Three-faced Pilgrim”. Featuring six tracks of majestic BM filled with crushing guitars and eerie atmospheric elements, Alghazanth continues to improve upon their legacy with another masterful release. Bearing a few line-up adjustments, the band keeps their lush Symphonic/Melodic Black Metal in place with some of the most exciting songs we have heard in 2013.

    Opening with the devastating “In Your Midnight Orchard”, we have a raw BM with awesome atmospheric highlights. The band has been perfecting their craft for a few years now, and with this release they take it to a whole new level of brutality. Just picture Horna with keyboards and Alghazanth is what you get. The melodic riffing is another aspect of the band that shows their true craft when it comes to songs like “To The Pear of High” and “Promethean Permutation”, both filled with excellent melodic riffs that seamlessly change tempos between aggressive and hyper-blast mode.

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    Hell of a Ride – Fast As Lightning (2013)

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    Arriving from France, today we have another excellent Hard Rock release filled with attitude and catchiness. Hell of a Ride provide us with their latest EP titled “Fast As Lightning”, featuring four tracks and seven bonus live recordings to sweeten the deal. With a high-octane Hard Rock vibe, this band steamrolls with their high-energy music filled with intoxicating rhythms and commanding vocals.

    Opening with the playful intro track, “Fast As Lightning” kicks off the musical side of things with a very typical Hard-Rocking tune that is both engaging and entertaining. The band’s vocalist Furious Djej does a great job in leading the band’s onslaughts with excellent fitting vocal melodies and great intensity. With each track featuring a cool intro section (appearing as an individual track on the CD), the band nicely sets the stage before each song. Inspired by Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, the band’s attitude is the main selling point of this release, greatly enhanced by excellent music we might add.

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    Siculicidium - Hosszú út az örökkévalóságba (2013)

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    Four years have passed since Siculicidium’s debut full-length “Utolsó vágta az Univerzumban”, and after a series of EP’s in 2012, the band is back in full swing with “Hosszú út az örökkévalóságba”. Never being huge fans of this three-piece from Romania, we are quite surprised of the quality of raw and unconventional Black Metal found in this latest effort. Mixing some atmospheric elements, creepy passages, and an overall uncompromising attitude, this release is quite diverse and yet traditional sounding to keep the hordes of BM fans clamoring for more.

    Opening with the dreamy “Endless road” (we will use the English names of the songs to keep this review legible), the band sets a very bleak and melancholic atmospheric mood since the first few notes. The raw BM explosion beings with the punishing “The fragrance of decay”, a very visceral track featuring a typical old-school BM structure, very direct riffs, and rather traditional drums. Similar to bands like Midnight, “Lurker” has a ridiculous set of catchy riffs and drumming to give that filthy BM vibe that only a handful of bands can achieve. There is also a certain Punk-ish vibe to this track that makes it quite enjoyable.

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    Festerguts – Heritage of Putrescent (2013)

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    Hailing from Russia, today we have Festerguts debut full-length release “Heritage of Putrescent”. Featuring eight tracks eclipsing over 30 minutes of intensely atmospheric/symphonic Brutal Death Metal, this band reminds us of a mixture of Fleshgod Apocalypse and Cradle of Filth (on their good years). Not for the faint of heart, this release will squash you with its powerful riffing and intense drumming.

    Opening with the symphonic intro “Above A Cold Body: Pre-Funeral Preparations”, the band really gets into the thick of things with the punishing “Now I can Fee You From Inside”. Using keyboards from atmospheric effect, the band quickly delivers uncompromising riffing and demolishing growls. They nicely offset the brutality with lush female vocal arrangements thrown into the mix. One of the best things in this release is that the atmospheric elements are not the main direction of the music, since the brutality of tracks like “Besmeared With Blood and Viscera” focus on the aggressive side of things.

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    Heaven’s Colt – Labour du Vice (2013)

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    With a perky attitude and a very catchy and traditional Hard Rock sound, today we have France’s Heaven’s Colt and their release “Labour du Vice”. Featuring six songs entirely sang in French, the listener gets a very unique take and different energy on a very popular and accessible genre. Having played over 300 shows, this French outfit knows exactly what the listener wants and they are experts in delivering it at the right time.

    Opening with the album title track, the guitar work and the whole musical vibe is very typical of the genre but the band manages to make it more interesting when you listen to the “Labour du Vice” chorus section and realize they are not singing in English. With the album in full swing, tracks like “Charohn’Hard” and “Alcoolo” ooze of attitude and judging by the band’s digipack layout pictures, the band has the look and the chops to play this music with commanding presence.

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    Bog of the Infidel - To Corrupt Your Sons and Lust After Your Daughters (2013)

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    Delivering punishing US Black Metal, today we have Bog of the Infidel and their latest EP “To Corrupt Your Sons and Lust After Your Daughters”. Featuring a barbaric and relentless sound, this band embodies the current state of Black Metal in the USA. The band will immediately capture any BM fan’s attention with their commanding riffing and gut-wrenching vocals.

    Opening with a very elegant classic guitar intro track “An Epitaph Scribed in Dismal Skies”, the band fully explodes on “Burnt Offerings”. With a wall of sound similar to Horna, Sargeist, Gorgoroth, but with that certain USBM touch, Bog of the Infidel delivers waves of savage riffs and crushing vocals. The drumming is quite tight, and on tracks like “As Satan's Pale Serpent Eye Waxes Full” it does not have to be 10,000 bmps all the time to achieve its desired effect.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Dargonomel – Varkulama (2013)

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    Behemoth and company move over, today we have Russia’s Dargonomel and their devastating Black/Death Metal debut release “Varkulama”. Delivering over 45 minutes of crushing music, this band has enough power behind their sound to blow the competition away. Filled with hate and brutality, the 11 tracks presented in this release are relentless and uncompromising.

    Opening with two songs with atmospheric intros titled “Leviathan retributive” and “From the void this is beyond”, this Russian three-piece delivers unrivaled waves of brutality. Focusing on aggressive riffs, lush drumming, and brutal hate-filled vocals, tracks like “Varkulama” showcase their aggressive power and superior execution skills. The tracks are filled with powerful Death Metal riffs, enough to please any of the genre’s most demanding fans.

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    Kajkyt – II (2013)

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    Filed under the category of unsettling and weird, today we have Kajkyt and his latest release titled “II”. Featuring eight tracks of very unique and different compositions, Kajkyt dwells in the lands of Dark-Ambient / Drone with a very mellow mood and some trippy elements. Clearly not for everybody, this release is better enjoyed on a dark room in a cold night to fully get the very minimalistic effect being transmitted in these eight tracks.

    Delivering a powerful opener track titled “I”, Kajkyt delivers distorted bass with simplistic electronics alongside some drones. Once the sorrowful clean vocals start leading the song, we are instantly hooked on the premise of the album, and eagerly awaiting for what is next to come. “II” is the longest song of the album and the whole atmosphere slows down considerably for some Noise elements to shine with a very ritualistic and minimalistic backdrop.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Armory – Empyrean Realms (2013)

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    Taking the North American Power Metal scene by surprise, today we have Armory and their high-octane sophomore release “Empyrean Realms”. After showing great surprise with their debut full-length “The Dawn of Enlightenment” six years ago, this band finally returns with an even more grandiose and bombastic release. Filled with over 50 minutes of blazing fast guitars, soaring vocals, and perky keyboards, this is one release that should be on your Christmas shopping list.

    Immediately blasting away with “Eternal Mind”, Adam Kurland’s vocals soar like you would expect from any top vocalist of the genre. Perfectly balanced and with an impressive range, this is one of the first assets behind this very creative band. The track progresses with intricately crafted guitars and super tight drumming. Rivaling the composition and execution brilliance of bands like Rhapsody of Fire, Stratovarius, etc., tracks like “Dreamstate” and “Beyond The Horizon” keep the band’s epic delivery and vibe rolling.

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