2010

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Orphaned Land - The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR (2010)

    Orphaned Land has the very daunting task of creating an even better release than “Mabool”, and they have somewhat succeeded in this almost impossible task. The band has refined their music greatly, and while this release is very good, they are miles away from the complexity and intricacy that “Mabool” offered us.

    “The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR” is a great release and it brings the Middle Eastern Folk influences that the band has showed in the past to be the main focus of this release. I love when bands use different elements in their music as a complement, not as a main gimmick in order to create shock value.

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    Varg – Blutaar (2010)

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    Hailing from Germany we have Varg, a new coming band into the very competitive and crowded Pagan Metal genre. “Blutaar” is the band’s second full-length release and it shows great maturity in their music, making it a very strong sophomore effort.

    The band currently on the line-up of the European Pagan Fest shows their skills at creating aggressive Pagan Metal songs that will surely have people moshing from beginning to end. While other bands of the genre focus more on having different instruments used in their music, Varg emphasizes on using a straight forward powered by aggressive guitar riffs and elaborate drumming.

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    Negură Bunget – Maiestrit (2010)

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    Negură Bunget hails from Romania and their musical style has evolved into a completely autonomous beast that many try to emulate but nobody can quite get. The mysticism behind the band’s sound creates chilling passages that freak out even the bravest metal heads of the world.

    Maiestrit is a re-interpretation of the band’s legendary album “Maiastru Sfetnic”, plus two unreleased acoustic versions of two tracks of this album. As you can expect from the band, you get a master piece in Atmospheric Black Metal that is definitely better than the original incarnation of these songs.

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    Heathen – The Evolution Of Chaos (2010)

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    Eighteen years have passed since the band’s last full-length “Victims Of Deception” and legions of fans were left hungry for another release of this amazing band. After releasing an EP/Best Of compilation the band presents us with “The Evolution Of Chaos”, a brilliant masterpiece that every Trash Metal fan, and even every metalhead in general has to listen.

    Featuring 11 tracks of Trash Metal brilliance we don’t think there will be another album this year that can rival what Heathen has managed to do with “The Evolution Of Chaos”. Clocking around 70 minutes, this album is one of the best releases we have heard in quite a while.

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    Immolation - Majesty and Decay (2010)

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    In terms of Death Metal, Americans have been showing the world how it’s done in the past 20 years. And Immolation’s “Majesty and Decay” is another fine example of why this gene was so popular and has not gone away in the States.

    “Majesty and Decay” features an Immolation, that like wine, it’s only getting better with age. The band has never lost it’s edge and every release they put out is around the same level as the last one. Something extremely rare in the DM scene since you have the ‘big players’ of the scene like Cannibal Corpse and Six Feet Under releasing shit albums every once in a while.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Eluveitie - Everything Remains As It Never Was (2010)

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    After their acoustic album “Evocation I - The Arcane Dominion” we finally get a new ‘metallic’ release and it’s a great one. Eluveitie has managed to craft its sound to a near perfect fusion of Folk music with Melodic Metal.

    While playing music in this style is not original by any means. Eluveitie does it with such grace that blows the competition out of the water. The eight piece Swiss band has released their most mature album to date and it can only get better from here.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Aldaaron – Nous Reviendrons Immortels (2010)

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    After a furious intro track you brace your-self for another raw and brutal Black Metal release but as you keep listening to “Nous Reviendrons Immortels” you find that there is more to Aldaaron than just raw Black Metal.

    The band style can be compared to a mixture of Himinbjørg, Mithotyn, and other Pagan/ Viking Metal bands but adding their own raw Black Metal elements to the mix.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Sectioned – Purulent Reality (2010)

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    Hailing from England we get Sectioned, a Death Metal band that takes us back to the glory days of the genre. “Purulent Reality” is being released by Paragon Records and showcases a very mature sounding band that can play a mean combination of Swedish and American Death Metal.

    Featuring 7 songs and 43 minutes of music, “Purulent Reality” has longer than average songs for a DM release. But the band pulls them off by featuring a vast array of riffs and catchy solos. The overall old-school sound of the band is one of the most appealing features of Sectioned.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Ptahil - Ortus (2010)

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    We are usually very weary of releases that feature two songs and 30 minutes of music. Unless they are Funeral Doom Metal releases or Ambient releases it usually means two things: 1) They suck so bad that our ears will bleed from listening to them at least 3 times, or 2) They are very good and get you completely involved in the atmosphere created by the band. Ptahil’s “Ortus” falls under number 2, from start to finish you are hooked and taken aback by a ritualistic Black Metal experience.

    The atmosphere created by the Satanists behind Ptahil is unparalleled to any other Black Metal release we have heard in years. While the music is simple and somewhat repetitive, it creates a hypnotic trance that will transport you to a different place in moments. We don’t even notice these repetitive elements until we only listen to parts of songs, as a whole they are part of the experience behind “Ortus”.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Fear Factory – Mechanize (2010)

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    The all mighty Fear Factory as back with Dino Cazares on guitars and replacing longtime founding member Raymond Herrera we have none other than Gene Hoglan. “Mechanize” is the bands first full-length album in 5 years and while not one of their best, is a complete improvement over the lackluster “Transgression”.

    For a band that has been so long in the scene, you can always rely on Fear Factory to release a straight forward in-your-face type of release. “Mechanize” is not an exception to this rule, but however like the band’s sound is pretty formulaic by now and it’s just another release with not much inspiration.

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