2013

  • Spektr – Cypher (2013)

    cover

    Delivering the first real stinker of the year, today we have Spektr and their latest release “Cypher”. In this nine track waste of time, the band attempts to be very experimental and avant-garde with some shitty Black Metal lined up with Drone and Industrial elements and a production that will make you want to pierce your ear drums, making effectively the most extreme POS we have heard in quite a while.

    The album opens with a boring Drone-like piece titled “Hermetism”, then they deliver the first ‘BM’ dose of the night with the totally horrible sounding “Teratology”. In this track and the next (“The Singularity”), we get to ‘enjoy’ craptastic BM riffing with even more horrible drumming all distorted by some weird studio magic effects that make it sound more kvlt and evil according to the band. While some people might enjoy getting their ears raped by some horrible sounds, we are not too keen to make our pets convulse by listening to this.

  • Nightfall – Cassiopeia (2013)

    cover

    After their triumphant return in 2010 with “Astron Black and the Thirty Tyrants”, today we have Nightfall and their less inspired latest release “Cassiopeia”. Just when one thinks a band is back in full swing, they release an album that feels more forced that natural. Don’t get us wrong, “Cassiopeia” is a solid album but it feels like the band had it on the closet for 6-7 years and sounds a bit outdated for today’s standards.

    Opening with “Phaethon”, the band delivers solid riffing that reminded us of Gothic/Doom/Death Metal albums from the mid 90’s, the period when Nightfall was at their prime. Paired with subtle keyboard hints and solid growls, the band sounds pretty powerful but after a few tracks it just gets old. The speedups of “Oberon & Titania” and other songs take away a bit from the linearity of this release, but ultimately are not enough to keep us interested on the songs as we were for the band’s previous release.

  • Endezzma – Erotik Nekrosis (2013)

    cover

    Hailing from Norway, today we have the debut full-length release of the Black Metal horde named Endezzma. In “Erotik Nekrosis” the band delivers seven tracks of very engaging BM that will surely surprise people with their melodic passages and a few interestingly odd elements that make the songs quite enjoyable.

    Opening with the very traditional “Junkyard Oblivion”, we immediately pictured another plain old-school BM release with that nasty sound that we all love. However, as the band pummels through the song, they suddenly deliver a very cool instrumental section that feels completely foreign to the overall structure of the song, and immediately make it 100 times more interesting. This vibe is again present on the Black’n’Roll-ish opening of “Enigma of the Sullen”, blowing away any preconception we had about how this album should go. This track also features a very cool atmospheric passage with even more appealing guitar work.

  • Gloria Morti – Lateral Constraints (2013)

    cover

    In the ‘meh’ category, today we have Gloria Morti and their fourth full-length release “Lateral Constraints”. Labeled as Melodic Death Metal, this band plays something more in the veins of Zyklon, The Wretched End, and similar bands. Their sound while refined and very technically proficient gets very boring very fast, thus making this release as great filler content for an evening washing your car.

    Opening with the crushing “Lex Parsimoniae”, the band very quickly sounds exactly like Zyklon and immediately gets very repetitive. We understand that the musical style is a bit repetitive, but this band takes it further with almost each track sounding like the previous one. There are indeed some standout songs with great atmospheric elements such as “Our God Is War” but as soon as this one is over, the band returns to deliver some more copycat riffs.

  • The Prophecy – Salvation (2013)

    cover

    Four years have passed since the band delivered their opus “Into the Light”, and now we finally have them back with an even more melancholic and depressive release with “Salvation”. As the band has matured, their sound has greatly progressed and in this release the band focuses more on very emotive vocal melodies and killer atmospheric components that make this album a very bleak and emotional ride.

    Matt Lawson’s vocals are one of our favorite elements of this release since they are right at the line between Epic Doom bands like Candlemass and While Heaven Wept and a very natural sound that is full of emotions and feelings, fitting the overall atmosphere of the music very well. Of course there are some growls here and there, but they are saved usually for the climax parts of the songs. The band’s move into more Progressive territories is another thing to note in the five songs presented in the album, making them sound a bit like Opeth during their transitional periods.

  • Denouncement Pyre – Almighty Arcanum (2013)

    cover

    Delivering 42 minutes of barbaric old-school Black/Death Metal, today we have Australia’s Denouncement Pyre and their latest release “Almighty Arcanum”. With a refined devastating sound, this Aussie band pummels through nine hate filled tracks that will rattle your speakers from beginning to end.

    After the warm-up instrumental intro “Breath of Tehom”, the band blasts away with the soul crushing “An Extension of the Void”. The band’s musical abilities have greatly improved over the years and on tracks like “The Deceiver”, they sound like a less Black’n’Roll version of Satyricon. The tempo of this release is quite ‘relaxed’ in some tracks, allowing Denouncement Pyre to have a very unique and dark vibe; “He Who Conquers All” is a great example of a less intense track that creates a very cavernous and well-crafted atmosphere.

  • Unspoken – Requiem Aeternam Deo (2013)

    cover

    With a very dark and foul sound (we mean it in a good way), today we have Norway’s Unspoken and their upcoming full-length “Requiem Aeternam Deo”, soon to be released in 2013. Mixing elements of Death, old-school Black, and some Thrash Metal, this band delivers 10 tracks of neck-snapping Metal that any fan of old-school music that demands modern production values would love.

    Opening with the bone-chilling “Baptized At The Altar of Rats”, the band’s fuzzy guitars are immediately present bringing havoc and destruction. The demonic vocals are very typical of old-school bands, and Unspoken really makes the shine with well-crafted music and an excellent production. Keeping the momentum going, the chugging riffs of “Redemption Scars” make this song quite catchy and perfect for some headbanging.

  • KingBathmat – Truth Button (2013)

    cover

    Arriving from the UK, today we have KingBathmat and their excellent release “Truth Button”. Invoking Progressive Rock greats like Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Flower Kings, etc., this band delivers six excellent tracks filled will beautifully carved melodies and surprises in every corner. Not just being a copy of said bands, KingBathmat manages to fuse some Grunge with Experimental Rock elements and a dash of Psychedelic rock, crafting a very trippy and technically proficient sound.

    Opening with “Behind The Wall”, we can instantly listen how the band’s Grungy guitars perfectly blend with space-age keyboards similar to Spock’s Beard and such bands. The heavy guitar sound nicely contrasts the lush vocals and overall mood, creating a very powerful and melancholic sound. Fully warmed up, “Abintra” keeps the mood flowing with very harmonious vocals and a funky bass guitar line. This song also has very playful psychedelic undertones that elevate the atmosphere of this track.

  • Fen – Dustwalker (2013)

    cover

    Arriving early 2013, we have Fen’s eagerly awaited third full-length release “Dustwalker”. This UK band has been pushing forward with their Post-Rock infused Atmospheric Black Metal for several years now, and with this release they manage to go fully over the Post-Rock side of things lined with some killer Black Metal elements. In this excellent release, the band delivers seven brilliant atmospheric tracks that will surely enchant you since the first one.

    Opening with the most brutal track in this release “Consequence”, the band goes on a killer opening with furious Black Metal riffing and crippling harsh vocals. This very intense opener nicely mixes some excellent clean vocals and the overall atmosphere feels very soothing once the song climaxes and closes. The Post-Rock side of things starts with the very ethereal “Hands of Dust”, a melancholic 11-minute song that is quite enjoyable and very easy flowing. Don’t get us wrong, there are intense BM moments here and there, but the overall structure of the track is quite melodic.

  • Hanging Garden – At Every Door (2013)

    cover

    Continuing with their surprising evolution into a more Gothic Rock-inspired sound, today we have Hanging Garden and their latest release “At Every Door”. On their debut release “Inherit the Eden” the band jumped into the scene with a very melodic Death/Doom Metal and was praised by fans all around. With their second effort “TEOTWAWKI” the band started to mix more Gothic and different elements to make their music more accessible to a broader audience, something that they gracefully continue to do with this release.

    Opening with the trippy “Ten Thousand Cranes”, the band delivers electronic elements with clean vocals making them sound like current Paradise Lost and Tiamat. Not all is lost since their original sound is present underneath everything with powerful riffs and excellent growls. Thankfully the new vocalist can do the growls as deep and powerful as their original one. “Ash and Dust” starts a bit more powerful than the first track, and the atmospheric details added by the keyboards work very well with the song.

Pages

Recent Image Galleries