2010

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    Rosetta – A Determinism of Morality (2010)

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    Hailing from Philadelphia today we have Rosetta, a band that combines elements of Hardcore, Shoegaze and Post-Metal with heavy melancholic atmospheres. This American band has been around for a while and has a pretty strong following in the scene, achieved thanks to their superb releases.

    “A Determinism of Morality” is the band’s latest effort. The album is being released by Translation Loss Records, a very unique label that has such acts as: Javelina and Mouth of the Architect. “A Determinism of Morality” starts off very aggressive before blending into an intoxicating mix of atmospheric passages. The band does a great job in gravitating between aggressive sections and instrumental passages that remind us of God is An Astronaut and similar bands.

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    Evig Natt – Darkland (2010)

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    After their impressive debut album “I Am Silence” back in 2007 we were left wanting more from Evig Natt, and finally we get “Darkland” this 2010. This Norwegian band debuted combining Black Metal with Gothic/Doom Metal influences in a very unique way, getting them enough attention and acclaim for their first album.

    With “Darkland” the band is back with a sound geared towards our favorite trifecta: Gothic/Doom/Death Metal. We completely love this genre, and we can say we are its harshest critics. With only a handful of bands that we discovered in the last few years that are worthy of carrying the banner of the combination of these three genres, we were pretty cautious when reviewing “Darkland”.

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    Fall of Empyrean – A Life Spent Dying (2010)

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    After a waiting period of 6 years between releases Fall of Empyrean is finally back, with their crushing Death/Doom Metal. “A Life Spent Dying” has been waiting to be released for a few years now, and finally Grau records picked it up for release. The band still plays Death/Doom Metal like in the old days and kills at it.

    “A Life Spent Dying” is a pretty decent successor to “A Darkness Remembered”, the band features their characteristic sound crafted with “Anhedonia” with only a few tweaks to make it sound even better. Most of this album is very formulaic; take for example the song “The Air is Still” which showcases every Death/Doom Metal trick in the book. This approach does not reduce the quality of music created by Fall of Empyrean, and take anything from this great release.

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    Trollech – Jasmuz (2010)

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    All the way from the Czech Republic, today we get Trollech presenting their latest release “Jasmuz”. The band self-labels their music style as “Forest Pagan Black Metal” but we prefer Pagan Metal to sound less pretentious. We review quite a few Pagan/Viking Metal albums every year, and this 2010 we have to say the best so far is Trollech’s “Jasmuz”.

    “Jasmuz” like we mentioned is a very solid release that features every single element that makes a great Pagan Metal album. But it’s an extra element in this release that made us deduct several points from our score, some terrible vocals that sound like a troll getting raped by a bear, or something like that. In the first song “Moudrost Kovare” they stick out like a sweater on the beach. And most people will stop listening to this album after they hear them.

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    Nominon – Monumentomb (2010)

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    For a band that has been around for 17 years, Nominon’s music does not really reflect this. “Monumentomb” features nine sub-par Death Metal songs that pretty much anybody else would have been able to come up with. The band’s old-school Death Metal sound is ok, but it lacks a lot in the creativity department.

    Featuring members from tons of other bands, we can’t really point out want is wrong with this release except that is plain uninspired and empty of worthy content. Hailing from Sweden and having tons of great bands around them we would definitely expect more from this band. Another issue with “Monumentomb” is that the production behind it sound very cheap and does not allow the music to shine properly.

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    The Vision Bleak – Set Sail To Mystery (2010)

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    From the brilliant minds of Markus Stock and Tobias Schönemann we get another mesmerizing release from The Vision Bleak. The band is right back on track, exactly where they left off with “The Wolves Go Hunt Their Prey”. With their bombastic Gothic Metal, this duo has managed to enthrall all fans of the genre with hauntingly brilliant hymns, and they are back with 8 more on “Set Sail To Mystery”.

    As with all their previous albums, we get a first hand look at the bands unique world that is highly influenced by Horror movies and literature. The band has worked over the years in creating a demented universe that only true Horror fans can appreciate, and with their characteristic sound, we also have a perfect soundtrack for it.

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    At The Soundawn – Shifting (2010)

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    At The Soundawn comes from Italy and are here to show us what they are made off with “Shifting”, the band’s second release. For a band so young the musicianship in “shifting” is pretty impressive to say the least. Fusing Post-Rock, Post-Metal and even some Jazzy influences, the band will easily draw comparisons to Cult Of Luna, Mowgai and similar artists.

    While there are countless of boring Post-Rock/Metal album, “Shifting” is one of the best we have heard this 2010. The band does an excellent job at creating haunting atmospheres and instrumental passages to transport the listener into a different world. Featuring healthy doses of raspy vocals and aggressive parts, this release does not fall into the ‘too much atmosphere, not enough content” category that many bands playing this genres of music do.

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    Destinity – XI Reasons To See (2010)

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    The ever changing French band Destiny is back with a very complex and multi-faceted album that will surely be enjoyed by fans of different styles of Metal music. “XI Reasons To See” feature a wide variety of tracks that feature a healthy combination of Melodic Death Metal, Trash Metal and Modern Death Metal.

    Some people might argue that this release has too much stuff going on to be fully appreciated, but we believe that one you give this album a few listens you will start to appreciate all the layering that Destiny has done. With a strong Melodic DM and Trash foundation we greatly enjoy this release.

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    Norse – Hellstorm (2010)

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    Hailing from Australia, today we have Norse, a young band that plays Viking/Melodic Death Metal with a vengeance. These Aussies are ready to break shit and waste no time in doing so with the Amon Amarth sounding first track “Hellstorm”. All through the album the same level of intensity is consistent, and we completely love that.

    The band is heavily influenced by Amon Amarth (and similar Nordic mythology influenced Black/Death Metal bands) as we can tell from the way their music sound, the cover art, and the song names. But make no mistake and think that Norse is just a cheap clone of previously mentioned bands; they are pretty good at creating original music that stands by itself.

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    Exodus – Exhibit B: The Human Condition (2010)

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    Two years have passed since the so-so “Let There Be Blood” and now we have Exodus back in full swing. The band has managed to produce a very impressive album with “Exhibit B: The Human Condition” that it reminds us of their earlier days, but with that modern edge that the band has been incorporating into their sound.

    This new release is both more Melodic and Brutal, but the best part is that it sounds like Exodus all the way, no filler songs, no disconnection between track, “Exhibit B: The Human Condition” is a brilliant album from start to end. The listener is in for an impressive Trash Metal riff-a-ton courtesy of Gary Holt and Lee Altus.

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