2010

  • Dioramic – Technicolor (2010)

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    Dioramic makes a bold statement on their myspace saying that you can’t categorize their music and they are pretty close to reality. The German trio creates a musical palette featuring influences from Progressive rock/Metal, Post-Hardcore, Post-Metal, but in their own terms making for very diverse and interesting songs.

    Signed to Lifeforce records the band unleashes “Technicolor” an 11 song album that will have you scratching your head from song to song. Trying to figure out how the songs will progress was the most fun we’ve had while reviewing albums in the last few days.

  • Van Canto – Tribe Of Force (2010)

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    Out of the hundreds of albums we get to listen to every month, we only get 2-3 that are just completely different. Val Canto and their A Capella ‘Metal’ get’s the nood this month. “Tribe Of Force” features 13 tracks with no ‘Metal’ instruments other than drums.

    But what makes the band’s music is the vocalists emulating the rhythm guitar and the keyboard parts to perfection. While this might sound weird, and it does take a bit to get used to, the band’s actual sound is awesome and very interesting compared to anything else you will listen (in Metal).

  • Mortemia – Misere Mortem (2010)

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    Do you remember what was the feeling when you first played “Beyond The Veil” from Tristania?, well this will be almost the same feeling you get when playing “Misere Mortem”. From the mastermind behind both of those albums Mr. Morten Veland we get his self-indulgently named band Mortemia.

    Controlling all aspects behind the album, Morten has managed to release another masterpiece in terms of Gothic Metal. He recorded every single instrument, mixed and produced the album in his own studio, the only thing he could not do is sing the choir parts featured on this album.

  • Meshuggah – Alive (2010)

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    Recorded during the band’s 2008-2009 tours of the USA, we have “Alive”. This review is for the CD that comes with the DVD, not the DVD itself. Featuring 12 tracks of the band’s very impressive catalog of songs, we couldn’t have made a better selection into which songs made it to this CD.

    The recording quality for this live CD is very impressive, and sounds crystal clear. We might add that the songs sound way better than when we saw them live. You clearly get the full Meshuggah aural assault when you listen to this CD.

  • Annotations Of An Autopsy - The Reign Of Darkness (2010)

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    Today from the UK we get Annotations Of An Autopsy a handful or pissed off Brits that have taken the Death Metal scene in the UK as their own and made it their bitch. After their some what weak debut album “Before the Throne of Infection”, the band is back with their latest aural assault and is a big improvement.

    “The Reign Of Darkness” features 11 tracks of Death Metal at it’s most brutal. Filled with meaty hooks and catchy riffs, this album is ready to blow your head clear off.

  • Arsis - Starve For The Devil (2010)

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    Filling the void left by an awesomely technical band but with horrible vocals like Arch Enemy we have Arsis. Arsis for the people that don’t know them yet, play Technical Melodic Death Metal in the same vein than Arch Enemy does, but with a more suitable vocal sound that does not get annoying after a couple of songs.

    Hailing from the USA, Arsis is not new to the metal scene they have been around since 2000 and have released three full-length albums before their latest opus “Starve For The Devil”.

  • Marionette – Enemies (2010)

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    We usually get quite a few bands that claim to play Melodic Death Metal, but fail miserably to deliver an engaging and entertaining album. Marionette is an example of a band that DOES deliver, and their album “Enemies” is one of the best Melodic DM albums we have received in quite a while.

    “Enemies” starts off very aggressively and all over the place, so we immediately expected the album to suck. However after the first 60 seconds, all this changes and you can hear the quality of the bands music, and it hooks you into listening to the whole album.

  • Sybreed – The Pulse Of Awakening (2010)

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    Calling the music of Sybreed complex is a complete understatement of what the band does with “The Pulse Of Awakening”, their third full-length in their 7 years of existence. The mixture of elements in this album is as long as the list of ice cream flavors Baskin Robbins has.

    Analyzing the band by layers, we can see the main underlying Metal foundation the band has, but it’s not just a regular ‘plain and simple’ Metal foundation. The band chooses to use very complex time signatures and polyrhythmic composition in the vein of Meshuggah, Xerath, etc.

  • Suicidal Tendencies - Live at the Olympic Auditorium (2010)

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    Having an impressive career spanning almost 30 years (including the three ‘breaks’ the band has taken) Suicidal Tendencies are one of the most recognized names in Crossover / Trash Metal, and are considered by many the fathers of this genre.

    The band did not start in this genre, but they made their start playing Punk and evolved into one of the most influential bands in the early Crossover scene. We have hear the band’s releases for years and while never getting completely into them, until you get to see them live.

  • Exodus – Shovel Headed Tour Machine (Live At Wacken And Other Atrocities) (2010)

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    The legendary band Exodus finally releases a DVD that is worth watching well I’ve only got to listen to it so far, but from the audio quality and the quality of the performance I assume is pretty good.

    The DVD only features 11 songs; something that I feel is not enough considering their impressive discography. But they are more than enough to leave you wanting more and trying to catch them live, especially with master drummer Nick Barker on their most recent tours.

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