Album Reviews

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    Odd Dimension – Symmetrical (2011)

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    Jumping out of the blue, today we have a very promising Progressive Metal band with the name of Odd Dimension. Hailing from Italy, this ‘new band’ is ready to make a strong introduction with their debut album “Symmetrical”. Featuring 47 minutes of music, this release is one of the strongest Power Metal releases of 2011 we have received so far.

    Featuring lush keyboard arrangements, powerful singing, solid guitar work and tight drumming, this band has all the elements needed to be successful in such a competitive genre. One of the best elements of “Symmetrical” has to be the solid songwriting abilities that the band has, since ‘everybody’ can be great at their instruments, is how they put the songs together that separates a great band from the rest.

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    Quicksand Dream – Aelin: A Story about Destiny (2010)

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    When we first started listening to this album we noticed that it sounded a bit dated and ‘older’ for some reason, little did we know that it was originally recorded in 1999 and very limitedly released back in 2000.  Taking that into consideration, we are even more amazed on what sound this band had back in those days and can’t help but wonder where it would have taken them back then.

    If you are a fan of Epic Heavy Metal and you like bands like While Heaven Wept, Equinox ov the Gods, Fates Warning, etc, then Quicksand Dream will surely grab your attention. The band mixes Heavy Metal elements with some Psychedelic rock influences and the overall Epicness of the band’s sound is greatly enhanced by the vocals of Göran Jacobson.

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    Burzum – Fallen (2011)

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    Looks like Varg Vikernes was very active writing music in the last few years and delivers the second post-prison Burzum album in two years. With “Fallen”, Varg seems to dig back into the early Burzum material and delivers a very solid and impressive release with some upgrades to the older sound.

    One thing that will come as a huge shock for people expecting pure and raw Black Metal is the use of some clean vocals and humming. While this might seem confusing at first, it actually enhances the mood of the album greatly and makes the harsh vocal sections more grim and meaningful.

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    Dirk Diggler - Dirk Diggler (2010)

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    Hailing from Israel today we have a very perky porno-grind band called “Dirk Diggler”. While we are not huge fans of gridcore in general, we can recognize when a band is pretty good at creating chaos and decadence with their music and Dirk Diggler excels at this.

    Featuring the traditional porn samples, Dirk Diggler blows in your face 14 tracks of crushing gridcore that can be compared to Pig Destroyer, Anal Cunt and similar bands. Track after track the band provides a hefty amount of riffs and bestial vocals to please the most ‘demanding’ fans of the genre.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Brutally Deceased – Dead Lovers’ Guide (2010)

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    Hailing from the Czech Republic, today we have the neck-breaking music of Brutally Deceased and their debut full-length release “Dead Lovers’ Guide”. Many new bands attempt to play ‘old-school’ Swedish Death Metal but fail miserably, however Brutally Deceased excels in this department very nicely and created 33 minutes of retro-DM that fans of the genre will love.

    With a very solid production, “Dead Lovers’ Guide” will drill your ears for nine very catchy tracks. The band’s music has just the right feeling to believe you are back in the early days of Grave, Dismember, Morgoth, but has the 2010 studio clarity.

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    Grave Digger - The Ballad of Mary (2011)

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    Just a few short months after the release of the amazing “The Clans Will Rise Again”, we have Grave Digger providing us with an EP featuring 5 songs that would have been best fitted in a special edition version of the band’s previous album. However, these 5 songs provide a different (and very interesting) look to a few of the songs of the band’s latest full-length release.

    Featuring two versions of their epic ballad “The Ballad of Mary”, this EP packs enough heat to surely satisfy the band’s fans. In the first version of this song we have Doro and Van Canto providing vocal support, making this song considerably better. In the ‘extended’ symphonic version (which is actually 20 seconds shorter than the Doro version of the song) we have symphonic elements that add to this song a very acoustic/classical feeling to this dramatic song.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Svartpest – Mjodfest (2010)

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    With a story that reads like a soap opera (according to the press kit), today we have Norway’s Svartpest and their latest release “Modfest”. In this album we get 7 tracks of a mixture of Black Metal with some Viking/Folk influences that feels somewhat a bit undercooked, but decent enough to make an ok album.

    Taking 3 songs from their 99 demo (with the same title), the band gives us a total of 7 tracks that dramatically vary in quality, but have a few decent ones to call this album a ‘lukewarm’ success. We have nothing against such releases, but we think is kind of lame to rehash older songs for newer releases (unless you are a band with a long (and recognized) trajectory).

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Liktjern - Kulde, Pest & Død (2011)

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    Hailing from Norway, today we have another Black Metal band popping out of the woods. Liktjern has been around since 1996 but due to tons of line-up changes and everything you can imagine, the band has never released any music until “Kulde, Pest & Død”, a very raw and ‘traditional sounding’ Black Metal MCD.

    As we are reviewing this album during a winter storm, we can surely state that this kind of Black Metal is just right for these moments. All 4 songs are raw and basic, a simplistic but rather traditional approach to the genre, but then again who said Black Metal is supposed to be pretty.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Lebowski – Cinematic (2010)

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    As one of the most ambitious self-released albums we have received in years, we have Lebowski’s musical opus “Cinematic”. In this release, the band culminates a 5 year writing process in the shape of a sound track to a non-existent movie as they put it. Being the band’s first full-length release, we are sure they will turn some heads along the way with such a professional and rich production.

    The variety of textures created by the moods and instruments is outstanding, all the elements come together magically in such a way that you can visualize the atmospheres created by the band in each of the 10 songs presented in this release.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Havok – Time is up (2011)

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    After their solid debut album “Burn”, Havok is back with their crushing Thrash Metal sound with “Time is up”. This new release features 10 tracks and 42 minutes of non-stop Thrash Metal music that will blow your speakers off. Unlike all the copycat bands, Havok is influencing their sound with modern elements and with a crystal clear production that puts them in the same caliber are the greats of the genre Exodus, Forbidden, etc.

    With the opening track aptly titled “Prepare for Attack”, the band unleashes their musical skills with sick tracks that will have you headbanging from the first minute. The guitar riffing is even better than on their “Burn” album, and the catchiness of the songs is unrivaled.

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