Album Reviews

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    Ommatidia – In this Life, or the Next (2011)

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    In the last few years we have noticed a wide variety of French bands with very unique music such as Alcest, Les Discrets, Amesours, etc. Today Ommatidia takes the spotlight with its very unique mixture of Doom and Gothic Metal with atmospheric elements, creating a very fresh blend of sounds.

    Powered by ex-The Old Dead Tree members Nicolas Chevrollier (guitar) and Vincent Danhier, this band is ready to enchant people with their unique and well crafted sound. Paired alongside very creatively crafted music, the excellent vocals of Guillaume Richard bring that staple needed to identify a band even while intoxicated.

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    Nox Illunis – In Sideris Penumbra (2010)

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    With all the shit Black Metal that inundates the Metal scene this days, it is very pleasing to find (well, receive) bands like Nox Illunis and their melodic no-bullshit approach to the genre. This Italian band belts out 7 tracks of Melodic Black Metal that will crush your soul from the first minute of “In Sideris Penumbra”.

    Before you discard them for being melodic and go and listen to your kvlt BM albums, bear with us for a few more paragraphs. The band’s music might be melodic in nature, but the blasts of blistering riffing and monumental drumming is what makes their melodically driven songs very appealing for ALL Black Metal fans.

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    Necronoclast – Ashes (2011)

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    As a new addition into the good but nothing out of the ordinary category, today we have Necronoclast’s “Ashes”. This one man band from the UK delivers solid Black Metal tunes that are soon forgotten due to their lack of originality. While the atmosphere is tick and evil (and all that shit), there is a certain familiarity about it that will leave you looking for something else.

    Staring with the mid-paced “Ghostways”, the evidence of old Burzum, Darkthrone, etc is present but not quite compelling. Greg Edwards does at solid job in handling all instruments, but the music feels devoid of originality. While sometimes is good that one person handles everything, many times the lack of inspiration completely kills the flow of said releases.

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    Tangent Plane – Project Elimi (2011)

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    Hailing from Germany today we have Tangent Plane and their undercooked second full-length release “Project Elimi”. The band plays Progressive Heavy Metal with some nice elements, but with an overall dullness that will put you to sleep after a couple of songs.

    We usually don’t go around trashing bands, but this album feels like it needed more time to fully develop into a better one. The band’s musical abilities are very good, but they lack creativity and emotions behind the 8 songs presented in this release.

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    Kampfar – Mare (2011)

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    Making their return after 3 years, today we have Kampfar and their hellish brand of Pagan Black Metal. “Mare” marks one of the best efforts to date from this Norwegian outfit, and should not be taken lightly by both Pagan Metal and Black Metal fans alike.

    For over 45 minutes the band will surround you with their guitar driven music, something that we were hesitant about since they parted ways with Thomas, the original guitar player. The use of some keyboards for atmosphere is also another strong point of this very well crafted release.

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    Amon Amarth – Surtur Rising (2011)

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    The Swedish masters of Viking infused Melodic Death Metal are back with their most catchy and melodic release up to date. With “Surtur Rising” the band validates why they are one of the premiere Melodic Death Metal bands in the world and they will surely please all fans and gather hordes of new fans as well.

    As we all expected, the guitar work in “Surtur Rising” is outstanding to say the least. The riffing power of Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg is unrivaled and on this release they put together 10 songs of pure power and catchiness. Sure there are heaps of ‘traditional’ Amon Amarth sections, but the way the guitar melodies drives the music in this release is just excellent.

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    Fireforce – March On (2011)

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    Keeping the Heavy Metal flame alive, today we have newcomers Fireforce and their debut album “March On”. With the old-school vibe oozing from this album since the first riff, the band will surely take you down memory lane with a very fitting soundtrack.

    For 12 tracks, Fireforce will take you on a cliché ridden Heavy Metal trip that will surely please fans of this genre that never have adjusted to more modern sounding bands. The band does a great job in creating that traditional Heavy Metal vibe, but does nothing to add something of substance to the genre.

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    Sons of Seasons – Magnisphyricon (2011)

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    After their impressive debut album “Gods of Vermin” back in 2009, today we have Sons of Seasons returning with an equally impressive sophomore album titled “Magnisphyricon”. The creativity of Oliver Palotai knows no limits and with this release he is set on establishing Sons of Seasons as one of the premier Progressive Symphonic Metal bands in the scene.

    With almost the same members from the first album, Sons of Seasons treat us to 14 tracks of brilliant compositions that dabble between the Symphonic Metal and the Progressive Metal realms seamlessly in perfect harmony. In this album you will get lush keyboard arrangements, solid guitar riffing and solos, and powerful vocal melodies.

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    Anniversary Circle – Saturated Feathers (2010)

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    Having formed around 20 years ago and never release a debut album is something that can be considered quite a feat and probably should be in Guinness book of World Records. For Anniversary Circle, this fact has only gained them more rep in the underground scene and made “Saturated Feathers” and even more special release.

    With a mixture of influences ranging between Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Cure, Joy Division, Killing Joke and many others, Anniversary Circle sounds a bit dated but this is exactly what makes them very effective an appealing for us.

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    Augury – Concealed (2011)

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    Today via Sonic Unyon we have the re-release of one of the best Progressive Death Metal releases to ever come from Canada. Augury’s “Concealed” debut album was highly acclaimed by critics and fans alike back in 2004 and with this re-release we get to enjoy this masterpiece with even better sound than before.

    Augury is known for their very impressive Progressive Death Metal sound that easily rivals any big-name European band of the genre. In this re-release we have the original 10 tracks featured on the 2004 edition alongside with 2 tracks from their 2006 demo that landed them a deal with Nuclear Blast Records.

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